It's My Life
by DaCherry
Summary: When Bella tries to give herself a one night stand as a birthday present, Edward has other ideas. AH, OOC
1. Prologue

**A/N: This is for my slappers**

**Prologue**

As I looked at myself in the mirror, I took inventory. Long dark hair with perfect red highlights -check. Favorite jeans sitting just right on my ass-check. Red converse low tops-check. Minimal make-up and cute t-shirt-check. This is it, I Isabella Swan was ready! As the doorbell rang and Alice let herself in, I realized that I had come a long way in a short time. I was feeling god about the way I looked and that always made me happy. Especially as my life was about to change, again.

In order for you to understand where I am now, you have to understand where I came from.


	2. Chapter 2

**Ch 1-Yesterday**

The first time I kissed Jacob Black was during arts and crafts in kindergarten. We had been sharing the same table when he asked me about the flavor of my gum. Being a practical 5 year old, I assessed my glitter and glue covered hands, leaned forward, pressed my lips to his and pushed my gum into his mouth. From that day on, Jacob and I were attached at the hip.

We helped each other in good and bad times. When we were eleven, he let me cry on his shoulder when Mike Newton asked Jessica Stanley to the big 6th grade dance. That was when Jacob explained the whole man to boob concept to me. As I was a thin girl, this made me sob even harder. Jacob and I even tried dating in high school and lost our virginity to each other before deciding we weren't meant to date. Jake's parents tried to separate us after the "great tattoo/piercing incident" junior year in high school. My parents couldn't blame them as it was all my idea. I think my dad is still not over that. My mom, however is another story, she was angry that we didn't invite her along.

Jacob was the one to hold my hair when I had too much to drink and the same guy I shared an apartment with when we left for college. I remember that day fondly. Jacob and I in my driveway with our matching trucks packed with our worldly possessions. We drove tandem the 7 hours from Forks Washington to Corvallis Oregon, home of Oregon State University.

Jacob and I settled quickly into our apartment. We were lucky enough to both receive financial aid so we could concentrate on getting our degrees without having to worry about a job. Both of our parents had enough to support us as we plundered through our 4 years of school. Jacob was studying for a business degree so he could take over his dad's auto shop back at home. I always wanted be an accountant. I know, not the most glamorous of jobs and as I barely passed math, a bit of a conundrum. However, accounting is a puzzle in my mind. All the pieces are there, I just needed to make them fit. I didn't want to stay in Forks though, I had loftier goals.

After graduating, Jacob moved back to La Push, and I moved to Seattle and started working at a small Accounting firm. Jacob and I had fallen into a pattern of seeing each other on the weekends, whether I was dating someone or not. Most people didn't understand our bond, but that was ok. I am a firm believer that people in your life are there for a reason. Little did I know that everything would change the summer before I turned 25. All thanks to my cousin Emmett.


	3. Chapter 3

**Ch 2-Let it All Hang Out**

My cousins Emmett and Alice grew up in San Diego California. Our moms were sisters, but as we lived so far apart, we didn't see them that often. Emmett is five years older than I am and built like a professional wrestler. Every time I see him, I envision The Rock. Alice and I are 8 months apart. All three of us have the dark hair that our moms have, but they both inherited their dads blue eyes. When Alice was in High School, she worked at Sea World. She always got me behind the scenes and I even swam with the dolphins. As an adult, Alice took her love for marine life and applied it to a biology degree. She works side by side with her boyfriend Jasper at Scripps Institute of Oceanography. Emmett took his love for sports into college and is a physical therapist for the San Diego Chargers.

The wedding invitation came from out of nowhere. I knew that Emmett and Rosalie were serious. The last time I had visited them, they were moving in together. That was only a few months ago, so the wedding was a bit of a surprise. I traveled with my parents to witness Rosalie Hale marry Emmett McCarty on the beach at Mission Bay. It was a beautiful ceremony and Rose was a gorgeous bride. Are any brides not gorgeous on their wedding day, though? Emmett was definitely a lucky man. This trip to San Diego became the stepping stone to the rest of my life. Little did I know that a 3 hour flight would change it all.

While I was in San Diego, Rose and I chatted about work. She works in the Human Resource department at Qualcomm Stadium. This is where the San Diego Chargers have their front offices. They were looking for a replacement in the accounting department as one of their temps had put in a transfer and was in the process of moving to a different state. Rose insisted I email over my resume. She and Emmett pulled some strings in order for me to interview while I was there and the rest, as they say, is history.

I spent the rest of my time in San Diego securing a place to live and reacquainting myself with Alice. I was very lucky as Jasper and Alice were planning on moving into her house. This left Jaspers modest bungalow available to me. I took one look at it and fell in love. It was a two bedroom house three blocks from the beach. You could hear the waves crashing from the back yard. Jasper and I hashed out the arrangements and I returned to Seattle fully intending on moving before the end of the month.

Two weeks until my new life begins.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:So- I should have done this at first post, but oh well.**

**Thanks Slapper T- if you didn't show the courage to post, I wouldn't have either**

**This story is 90% based on my real life. Feel free to ask me about what you think is true or not.**

**Chapters are short. This way I can finish them faster and get them posted.**

**Thank you: Gracie and Erin 3 **

**Thanks to YOU readers that have already put this on alert and reviewed me. **

**SM owns Twilight, I own a 70lb pitbull that thinks he is a lapdog**

**Chapter 3-Just Like Starting Over**

Jacob picked me up at SeaTac airport and proceeded to interrogate me. I had always been the spontaneous one and he never ever tried to stop me. However, Jacob always made sure that I was absolutely certain about my decisions and knew what I was getting myself into.

The first stop on my good bye trip was to trade in my truck. She had served me well, but traffic in San Diego was worse than in Seattle and I wanted something more fuel efficient. Jacob took me to a Mini dealer and I fell in love with a purple convertible. I named her Sally and she and I bonded on the drive to my apartment.

While Jake and I packed up my belongings, I described the sun and the surf. I couldn't shut up. I realized this was because I was truly excited about this move. I felt there were only great things in my future and what better way to begin than to start anew. I invited Jake to move with me, but he had finally found the girl of his dreams and he wouldn't part from her. I could understand that, even if I hadn't experienced the whole butterflies in my stomach kind of love yet.

One week after Emmett's wedding, the moving van was at my apartment to pick everything up. As soon as my belonging pulled out of the driveway, I headed to Forks to say good bye to my parents and get the rest of my stuff. My mom Renee was a little apprehensive but excited for me. I tended to take after her more than my dad and she and I have always been close. My dad Charlie always blamed her for my outlandish behavior. My parents had raised me to be independent, so even though I was moving far away from them, they were happy for me.

As I stood in the middle of the small room still covered in band posters, I screamed out loud as the excitement of what I was doing coursed through me. Grabbing one of the empty boxes from the corner, I start shoving my books and photo albums into it. I made sure to grab my favorite picture of Jake and I off my desk to pack. It showed us as freshmen in high school and I was sporting a blue Mohawk at the time. I had to pack conservatively as there isn't much room in the mini. My dad helped me load in the only 5 boxes I could fit in my car.

"Are you positive about this Bella?" He asked me.

I looked at him, smiled and nodded. "When have I NOT been sure about anything, Dad?" I gave him a hug and moved another box into the small backseat of my car.

After my car was packed, my mom, dad and I went to dinner. This was the last time I would be able to see them for a while.


	5. Chapter 5

**Ch 4-Travelin' Man **

After eight hours of driving, I found a hotel along the highway in San Jose to get some rest. I was at the half way point. I settled into my room, found some food and called my mom to let her know where I was.

"Hi Mom."

"Hi Bella. Where are you?" She asked

"I'm in San Jose, about the half way there. I plan to get up, eat and get rolling first thing in the morning." I replied.

"Ok, baby. Your dad is on shift right now, but he will be up when you get going in the morning. Please call him to let him know you are safe." My dad is the Chief of Police and will always worry about me. I was his only child after all.

After promising my mom that I would call my dad in the morning, we said good bye and I called Jake.

"How is the car holding up, B?" He asked me.

"God, Jake! I love Sally. Her gas mileage alone was worth the trade in. I will always have a soft spot for Bessie but I don't regret the decision. "

"Good B. How is the weather? We had rain up here today. I know you aren't overly shocked to hear that or anything." Jake laughed.

"It is pretty nice, but it will only get better as I go further south." I could picture rolling into San Diego with the convertible top down.

Jake and I talked for a little bit longer with him filling me on his girlfriend Leah. By the time I got off the phone, I was exhausted, so I changed into boxers and a tank top, climbed in the bed and went to sleep.

I woke up at a decent time the next morning. I called my dad before I showered because I knew he would need to be getting to bed after his night on. It was a short conversation as my dad is pretty quiet. I did however; tell him I had my pepper spray and my phone on at all times. My dad worried about me when I was out of his sight, so hopefully this pacified him at least a little. After he and I exchanged" I love you's", I hopped in the shower, packed up my stuff and got back on the road.

The remaining 7 hours of the trip dragged on but I was so excited about this that it didn't faze me. I just sang and danced along to my IPod. I finally arrived in San Diego about 6pm. I drove straight to my new little house. I promised Alice I would call her when I got in, but I really wanted to experience this moment alone. I pulled into the driveway and parked the car. I stretched my back and legs before I went to the front door. It was a beautiful night and I would remember this exact moment in time forever. I put the key in the lock and opened the door. I smiled when I noticed the new carpet in the living room and as I was walking through the house, you could smell the fresh new paint. Jasper had even painted my bedroom a deep red and I loved it.

I went back to my car to get my overnight bag, and shuffled back into the house. Alice and Jasper had left me an air mattress for the night and Jaspers old TV was in working condition. I found some food in the kitchen and a beer in the fridge. I popped the top off of it and called Alice.

"Hi Alice. I made it!" I practically screamed at her.

"Yea Bella! I am glad you got here safe. We left you some blankets in the closet for the night. When is the moving truck arriving?" I could hear the excitement in her voice.

"It's scheduled for Monday" I replied. Today was Saturday so this would give me a chance to figure out where my stuff would go. I loved the fact that I had a second room here. I didn't have that in my apartment and I was looking forward to creating a home office for myself.

"Ok. Well let me know what time you want to go out tomorrow and I can help you buy some things. There is a Target and a Bed Bath and Beyond about 15 minutes from you." Alice has a great eye for decorating.

"Sure thing, Chicky. I will call you in the morning. I am going to unpack my bathroom stuff and then wind down if nothing else tonight." Alice and I got off the phone and I looked around taking a deep breath.

So far my new beginning was working in my favor.

**A/N: No questions so far as to what is real and what is fictional? Please review **


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Thanks to Gracie and Erin for their pre-reading skills and my CALI Twin KareBear for BETA work.**

**Thanks to all of you that have added this story to your alerts! **

**This story is 90% based on my real life. Feel free to ask me questions as we go along, I don't mind a bit!**

**Chapter Title Song on my Tumblr**

**SM owns Twilight, I own a purple mini convertible that I named: SALLY**

**Ch 5- Feeling Good **

My furniture arrived early on Monday morning. I had bribed Emmett and Jasper with a home cooked breakfast so they would help me get my stuff situated. After the heavy stuff was arranged, Rose and Alice helped me with the small touches. I had draped sheer black curtains on the windows and bought new white and red accessories for my bed. I had Emmett and Jasper put my bed kitty corner in the room. It is an antique finish wrought iron open toe bed and my pride and joy. I spent more on my bed than on almost anything else I own. I was really happy with the way my bedroom turned out.

My office would take a little bit longer as I don't own a desk, but I was happy at the shelves Jasper put up for me. While Rose was busy arranging my kitchen cabinets, Alice was placing my pictures around the mantle over the small fireplace. As I took a look around, I could feel "IT"- the feeling of home.

I had the rest of the week to settle in before I started working. I found the closest grocery store and was happy to be 2 blocks away from a dive bar. I even made time to drive to my new office to get a feel for the traffic and took Emmett out to lunch.

He chose a local burger joint. After we ordered our meals, we chatted about my move so far.

"Are you settled in?" He asked me.

"Yea, I am. I feel really good about everything so far, Emmett. I needed a change of scenery." I took a sip of my soda and relaxed into my chair.

"Well, B I am for one am really glad you are here." With that our food arrived and we dug in.

The following Monday I got to my office early so Rose could show me around. We ended the tour at my office.

"Here we are, Bella, your new home for 40 hours a week. I know you are used to doing more in the accounting field than what you will be doing here, but it will keep you busy." And with that, Rose showed me how to access the computer system and all the travel forms. I would be responsible for all the travel expenses for the team.

"Rose, I am looking forward to this. It is different than anything I have ever done, but I LOVE new experiences." I swiveled in my chair again as a thought popped into my head. "Rose? Do we get tickets to the game or any other kind of perk?" I love football so being able to see a game or two for free would be great.

"There is a box for employees but our tickets are discounted, not free. You will need to sign up for the games you want to see. I will get the schedule over to you so you can decide what games you want to go to." Rose smiled at me. "I like to go too, so it will be nice to have a friendly face in the box." Rose smiled at me and left my office so I could get settled in. I spun around in my chair to look out the window behind me. Not the best view but it was a window. Things were looking up.

**A/N: Please review, it makes me feel better than the California SunShine!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Thanks first to my lovely readers! I appreciate everyone that has put this story on alert.**

**Erin and Grace- your PR skills can't be matched and KareBear- you give good grammar**

**Chapter Title Song on my Tumblr**

**SM Owns Twilight**

**Ch 6-Changes **

I settled in nicely to my new life. I made a few friends at work and a few at the bar. I even went out on a few dates, but there was never any spark. Alice and I had a girl's night every few weekends so we could spend time together. She and I are a lot alike and we enjoyed just hanging out at my house or theirs. The five of us celebrated my 25th birthday in September. They took me out on a gambling cruise on the bay, it was a lot of fun and I won $200.

About 3 weeks after my birthday, Alice and Jasper tried to talk me into going to the Ocean Beach Oktoberfest. According to them, it is the best one in the county. I didn't really want to go as I was in a bit of a funk. All I felt like doing was calling Jake and eating Ice Cream. Sometimes a girl just needs a day to herself. Alice insisted though, so I agreed as long as I wasn't driving.

As I looked at myself in the mirror, I took inventory. Long dark hair with perfect red highlights -check. Favorite jeans sitting just right on my ass-check. Red converse low tops-check. Minimal make-up and cute t-shirt-check. This is it, I Isabella Swan was ready! As the doorbell rang and Alice let herself in, I realized that I had come a long way in a short time. I was feeling god about the way I looked and that always made me happy. Especially as my life was about to change, again.

"Bella! Are you ready to go? Jasper's waiting in the car." Alice yelled as she wandered down the hall looking for me.

"I'm back here, Alice. Just getting one more look at myself before heading out the door." I spun, grabbed my phone and met her in the living room.

"You look good B. Comfortable is good as it's in the park." Alice led me out to her yellow VW Beetle that Jasper was driving. We got in and headed to the beach. Parking was pretty packed, but Jasper found a spot and the three of us wandered into the beverage tent. The three of us walked to the nearest beer seller, ordered our pints and walked around the tent.

"So Bella? If you could give yourself something that you have never had before, what would it be?" Alice asked. She liked to put you on the spot with weird questions sometimes.

"Hmm, Alice. I'm not sure. I would like another tattoo though." I currently had three tattoos. One on each ankle and the obligatory lower back known as a 'tramp" stamp.

"What else Bella? You already have tattoos." She gave me a look so I knew I would have to come up with something that was spontaneous even for me.

"O.K. How about a one night stand in honor of my 25th birthday. I have only had sex with men that I either dated or knew. So- tonight, my dear Ali, I will have uncontrolled sex with someone I don't know." I made Alice's jaw drop with that one. She knew I wasn't that kind of girl and that I had only had about five partners in my years. I went back over to get another beer and took a look around. The tent was huge and there were about 8 beer taps on each side. All eight were different types of beer. We intended to try one of each beer available before we left for the day.

As I walked back over to Alice and Jasper, I saw him. He looked stunning from the back. I tapped Alice and said, "That's the guy."

"Who? The one night stand guy? Are you really going to do it?" Alice asked. She turned to where I was looking. "B- you can only see the back of him. What makes you so sure?"

"Because from here he looks good." I winked at her. The guy I was looking at was tall, probably about 6'3", had a white wife beater on, a faded pair of levis jeans, boots, a leather jacket flung over his left shoulder, and a motorcycle helmet tucked under his arm. I could see two tattoos on his right upper arm and some across his shoulders. The kicker was his hair. It was all over the place and a brownish reddish color.

"Well, go talk to him. "Alice tried to push me towards him, but I am shyer than I let on and resisted.

"Alice, I can't do it. You know I am not a one night kind of girl." I was actually a little embarrassed about staring at his ass. Just then, the guy turned around and locked eyes with me. They were a startling green color and they made my breath catch. He smiled at me, lifted his beer in toast and drank. Then he turned back around to his friends.

"Oh my, B. I think he noticed you too." And with that, Alice skipped off to find Jasper. They returned a few minutes later and I was still staring at the back of my guy. Jasper noticed my ogling and offered to go and talk to him for me. With that, he wandered off. I had never felt more junior high in my life. I should have just given him a note "do you like me? Circle YES or NO". I was nervous that the guy would think I was a stalker and turned to get another beer. When I got back to Alice, she had been joined by Jasper, and two other guys. One of them being the guy I had been starting down. He was very nice to look at up close.

"Bella, look who I ran into." Jasper smiled at me.

"I'm Edward" he said, and put his hand out to shake mine. I grasped it like a lifeline.

"I'm Bella." I said shyly.

**A/N: Finally, right? Love it, Hate it? Have a question? Press the button**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Thanks to Grace and Erin for pre-reading and steering me along. Thanks to KareBear for her phantasm BETA skills.**

**The adorable Vajanet made me a pretty banner and it is posted at the top of my Tumblr Page (Check it out and tell her how awesome it is!)**

**Answer to a question I received: There is NO rhyme or reason to the Chapter Title Songs. Sometimes the title is a glimpse into the chapter. Sometimes it is a phrase in the song that creates the modd of the chapter. Sometimes the song pops in before I write any of the chapter, sometimes after. And so far- only 1 title has changed AFTER the pre-readers have seen it. Any more? Don't be afraid to ask, I won't bite unless you want me to…**

**Chapter Title Song is posted on my Tumblr**

**Ch 7-Promise of a New Day **

"Do you two already know each other?" I asked.

"Yes, Edward and I went to school together as well as Tyler" Jasper said as I noticed the other man that had joined us in my absence.

Edward looked me up and down then smirked at me. I take it he liked what he saw. I smiled at that and took a drink of me beer to hide my nerves.

Noticing how uncomfortable I was, Alice steered us all to another tent so we could all sit down and talk.

As soon as we all gathered around a table, Edward and I were in our own bubble.

"What part of town do you live in?" I asked

"I am in the North Park area. Are you new in town? I only ask because I run into Jasper every now and then, and I don't think I have ever seen you." Edward smiled as he spoke to me.

"I live in Imperial Beach in Jaspers old house. Alice is my cousin. I moved down here from a small town in Washington at the end of June. What type of bike do you ride?" I asked, nodding towards his helmet.

"I ride a Triumph" Edward said proudly.

"Oh good, I hate crotch rockets." I said and took a drink of my beer.

"How do you feel about kids?" Edward asked me as I choked on my beer.

"Don't you think it's a little premature in our relationship to talk about this?" I responded. "I don't have any kids and to be honest I am pretty sure I don't want to have any." I said confidently

Edward looked down at his hands before he spoke again. "I have a 4 year old daughter." Then he looked away again.

I immediately looked at his ring finger but there was no wedding band. I may have smiled at that. "Is she from a past girlfriend?" I could hear the hope in my own voice.

"Um. No. I'm in the process of getting divorced. Her mom and I are in mediation now." He looked around, avoiding my eyes while I processed this information. I could tell this was making him uncomfortable so I decided to lighten the mood.

"What is your girl's name?" I figured I could make small talk about some guy with a kid. I was already past the one night stand idea and I don't date married men with kids. Too bad, because Edward would have been some nice eye candy for a bit.

"Her name is Emily. She turned 4 about 6 weeks ago. She is pretty smart for her age and easy to get along with. I am sure that all parents say this about their kids, but I really mean it. If my kid was a pain in the ass, I would say she was." Edward's face lit up when he spoke about his kid. You could tell he really loved her and was proud of having her around. The topic change was a good idea, as this led to us chatting a bit more. We talked about his tattoos and mine. He was a smart and funny man and we were both pretty relaxed with each other.

After about another hour of all of us chatting, Edward and Tyler got up to leave.

"It was really nice to meet you Bella. Can I get your number so I can call you sometime?"

"Sure, Edward. Give me your phone." He handed me his phone and I put my number in it. "I'll see you around sometime."

Edward and Tyler left and Alice pounced. "Well, you two certainly shared a bit of chemistry, B. What did you think of him?"

"Nothing, Alice. He has tons of red flags around him. Small kid and still married. Definitely not someone I want to get involved with." It was sad too, because I really liked Edward and after our conversation tonight, I knew we had a lot in common.

"You know Bella, he and Kate have been in mediation for a while. She moved out with Emily about 6 months ago. I know he hasn't been in love with her for a long time now and the marriage was over about 2 years ago." Jasper spoke up. I was listening to him but I wasn't sure about the situation.

"I don't want to be tied down to a kid, Jasper. I am too independent for that. Besides how do you know so much about him?" I really was curious and I trusted Jaspers judgment.

"He is a few years older than I am, but we run in the same circles. If he asked for your number, he will call. Let's get out of here ladies. There is a neat little bar about 10 minutes from here. "And with that, we headed towards the car. Before we even got there, my cell rang. I didn't recognize the number but answered it anyway. I was very surprised when Edwards's voice came over the line.

"Hi Bella- I just wanted to make sure you gave me a real number. I'll let you get back to your night."

"Paranoid much, Edward? Oh and by the way, if I didn't want you to have my number, I wouldn't have given it to you." I could hear him laughing as I continued." Enjoy your night; Jasper is taking us to some bar he knows of around the corner." And with that, Edward and I said good night and headed to our respective evenings.

Meeting Edward had given me a warm fuzzy feeling.

**A/N: Hate it, Love it, Please review and let me know**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Thanks to Grace, Erin and KareBear for keeping this true to me.**

**Thanks to everyone that has put this story on alert! Much appreciated.**

**Chapter Song Title is on my Tumblr.**

**SM owns Twilight, I own this adventure …**

**Ch 8-And the Beat Goes On**

**Ja**sper, Alice and I pulled in to an almost empty parking lot and headed into the bar. The interior was very 1950's martini bar and I instantly felt at home. We sat at the bar and ordered some beers. When we had been there about 20 minutes my cell rang. It was Edward again. Alice smiled when she saw who it was.

"Answer it, B. He must really be interested if he is calling you again."

"Yeah, but is it weird that he IS calling again?" I asked her as I picked up the phone.

"Hi Edward. Didn't we just talk like 30 minutes ago?"

"HI Bella. Where are you?"

"We are at the Blue Moon on University."

"Ok- see you in about 20 minutes." And Edward hung up.

By the time Edward got there, Alice and I were pretty buzzed and signing along to the juke box. I was very happy to see him even though it felt weird to feel that way.

We all got another round of drinks and Edward and I got back into the bubble we had been in earlier. I found out he was born and raised in San Diego. The house he owned had been his grandparents' house and he bought it from his dad after they had passed.

As conversation lulled between us, Edward spoke up. "I think you need to come home with me, Bella."

"And why would I do that?" I knew exactly what would happen if I went home with him.

"So I can show you my house. I even cleaned my kitchen when I got home tonight." He looked up at me through his eyelashes, trying to be coy.

"Yeah, I don't' think so, Edward. I just met you and I'm not that kind of girl." I smiled at him when I said this. He looked a little crestfallen, but I could tell he had more to say on the subject. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, Alice interrupted

"Bella, can I see you in the Ladies Room, please?" How embarrassing, she was going to call me out on my actions! I let her grab my arm and she pulled me towards the back of the bar.

"Jeez Alice, let go!" I yanked my arm out of her grip. "Why in the world would I go home with him?"

"Because you said earlier tonight you were going to have a one night stand. PLUS he is totally into you. He has already called you twice and even went home and cleaned his house! Oh and you are pretty drunk right now, so you can do something you wouldn't normally do" Alice sounded reasonable so that was my clue that I was too drunk to care. She was right; Why NOT go home with the guy?

I left the ladies room with all intentions of going home with Edward. He was handsome so why not? Any regrets can be written off due to drinking.

As Edward and I walked out to the parking lot, I looked around expecting to see a motorcycle. "Hey, where's the bike? You had a helmet with you earlier."

Edward steered me towards a 1980's era Camaro. "I didn't have a helmet for you." He said as he helped me in. I smiled at his actions. I love a gentleman.

**A/N: Love it, Hate it? Please Review**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Thanks to all my readers out there! This has gotten a lot of traffic and I love that you all are interested in what happens next.**

**Erin and Grace- thanks for reading and commenting to help me along.**

**KareBear- you are my Grammar Dream come true!**

**SM owns Twilight, but this story is my real life adventures**

**Ch 9-Laid**

We drove back to his place listening quietly to the radio. It was a comfortable silence. I like when someone doesn't feel the need to fill the space with excess chatter. When we go to his house, Edward came around to my side of the car and helped me out. He walked me in through the garage and into the living room. He turned on some music and offered me a beer. He gave me the dime store version of the tour of his house and then we sat next to each other on his couch and chatted.

"So Bella, what brought you down to San Diego?" He sounded truly interested and not just as if he was making small talk.

"I had come down for Emmett's wedding and decided to make it a permanent change."

"Do you always make rash decisions?" He smirked at me when he asked this so I could tell he was teasing me.

"Why yes, Edward I obviously do if I am here, right?" I gave it right back to him with a smile.

Things started to move pretty fast from there and next thing I knew, Edward and I were kissing. His lips felt perfect against mine. He licked my top lip and gently sucked it into his mouth causing me to force my tongue into his mouth and groan. Our tongues fought for dominance for a little bit, but I eventually let him lead the pace. The kisses heated the rest of me up and next thing you know, I was letting Edward herd me down the hall to his bedroom. There want any more time to be nervous because at that point, Edward already had my shirt off and was diving into my bra. His fingertips lightly caressed over my nipples causing them to pebble up. He did this a few more times, causing me to moan.

"That felt really good, Edward" I said as I pushed my tits into his hands even more. He bent down and licked my left nipple lightly. Just enough to get it wet and then blew on it. He repeated the process on my right nipple. The tightening feeling went right from my nipple to my core. I wouldn't last long at this rate. I had my hands on Edwards back, as I worked them under his tank top, and pushed it up over his head, noticing a nipple piercing in the process. He tossed his shirt into a corner and went back to sucking my tits, removing my bra with one hand and feeding himself my left breast at the same time. He took his time with each one and I started grinding against him pretty hard. I needed the friction. He pushed me onto the bed and yanked my shoes off. I kicked off my socks and when I went for the button on my jeans, Edward stopped me.

"I want to do that part." He then took his time in getting my jeans off of me. He kissed his way down my legs in the process of removing my jeans. Once my jeans were removed, he stopped and stared at me. It made me really hot and bothered and he could tell. He looked up at m, smirked and crawled up my body slowly.

"Edward are you just going to look at me, or is this headed somewhere?" I asked and dove for the button on his jeans. Edward helped me get his jeans off and I learned he was commando. This made me raise an eyebrow at him, but I didn't say anything as it didn't bother me in the least. His cock sprung free and I started to stroke his dick.

Edward took two fingers and caressed my clit lightly. It was just enough to make me want to beg for more. I shimmied around a bit to get his hand exactly where I wanted it. "Come on Edward; put your cock in me."

With that, Edward leaned over my head to get into his nightstand, grabbed a condom, threw it on his dick and pushed into me. "Fuck Bella! You feel so good"

I could only answer him in a loud moan. He was hitting all the right places and I knew I wouldn't last very long, so I quickened my pace. I didn't want a long drag out marathon of sex anyway; this was why I came home with him in the first place.

Edward caught on to what I was doing and started to pump faster. The he slowed down as he realized I hadn't gotten off yet. "Shit, Bella, you need to come before I do." He started rubbing on my clit again, and I felt the coil in my stomach start to unwind. I was right on the verge and he pushed me over.

"Oh God..I'm gonna….Edward!" I yelled through my orgasm. Edward came right after me, gave me a kiss and got up to dispose of the condom. He returned to bed, pulled me close to him and we curled up together in a ball and fell asleep.

**A/N: Any questions about what is real and what is fiction so far? Ask by pushing that button **


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews. I am glad you are enjoying this so far! Don't forget this is mostly based on my life, so feel free to ask what is or isn't true.**

**Thanks to my PR's Grace and Erin and my BETA KareBear**

**Chapter title song is on my Tumblr.**

**SM owns Twilight, I own a really cool Open Toe bed that is Platinum antique looking**

**Chapter 10 -Torn**

I woke up disoriented, and trying to remember exactly what happened last night. I felt really warm and realized I was wrapped up in someone's arms. Oh shit! There is a guy wrapped around me! I started to panic when I realized I was still naked from the activities. I blinked my eyes to adjust to the room, but the heavy dark curtains kept it cave like. I slowly turned my head to catch a glimpse of the guy over my left shoulder, only to see Edward. What have I done? I untangled from his arms and crawled out of the bed slowly. I didn't really want to wake him and I needed an escape plan STAT! My head started to pound once my feet hit the floor from adrenaline and all the drinking the night before. I made my way into his bathroom and used his toothbrush; I also popped a few aspirin. As Edwards's bedroom was almost black, I was surprised by how bright the bathroom was, causing me look at my wrist and catch the time. It was only 8:30am. I dashed back into the bedroom with the intent to get my clothes and get out of there. The room was too dark and even with the bathroom door open it couldn't light up the corners where I knew my clothes were. In a panic, I grabbed the first thing I could find that would cover me up, a button up shirt out of the closet and went to find my purse. I needed my cell immediately. None of my actions caused Edward to wake up, making me wonder how often he did this exact thing. I shook that thought from my head. It's not like I was a prude or anything, but this walk of shame thing was completely new to me.

I made my way quietly out to the living room. I found my purse in the living room on the coffee table. As I dug through it to find my phone, I took a look around. How did I not notice the three acoustic guitars last night, I wondered. It was a nicely decorated room. Very non-bachelor pad, reinforcing the fact that although his wife and kid didn't live here anymore, he was still in a relationship. This made me feel even worse. I grabbed my phone and worked my way out the back sliding doors. I wanted to escape without waking up Edward. As I stood on the back patio dialing the phone, I took in the view. Edward actually had a little bit of land behind his house. This was a surprise as it seemed all the houses I had been to so far in San Diego had small square yards. Edward's sloped into a canyon and there was a parking lot behind his hedges so no neighbor behind him. I started the ALICE PICK UP mantra in my head while listening to her phone ring.

"Hmm?" I had obviously woke her up.

"Alice? HELP! I need to get out of here, I don't know where I am and I can't find my clothes."

"B? Is that you?" I could tell she was waking up." Why are you so panicked? What happened? Aren't you at Edward's? What did he DO to you? " I could hear the worry in her voice.

"I'm fine. Just beyond embarrassed by my behavior and I need to get out of here before Edward wakes up." FUCK! Why hadn't I driven myself here the night before? Then I could already be on my way home.

"Calm down, B. Try to find your clothes and I'll be there as soon as I can." Alice was trying to walk me away from the edge.

Just as I was about to answer her, two arms encircled my waist. I looked down and noticed jeans and bare feet. I was really glad he wasn't still naked. "Alice, Edward is up now, so I have to go." I felt extremely uncomfortable at the moment. Just as I was getting ready to hang up, I could hear Alice through the phone.

"B! I will be there in 20." Then she disconnected.

I turned to face Edward and get away from him at the same time.

"Hi" I said shyly. "I didn't want to wake you and I have a ton of things to do today, so Alice is coming to get me." I looked down at my feet the entire time I was talking to him. I just couldn't look into his eyes.

"I would have driven you home, Bella. Or did you not want me to?" His expression was hard for me to read.

"No, it's fine. You were just sleeping so I didn't want to disturb you" I went to move back into the house, but Edward stopped me.

"Do you have time for some coffee and breakfast or is Alice coming for you now?" I could hear the hopeful tone in his voice and it confused me. Didn't he want me out of here? Isn't that how the whole one night stand thing worked? I wish I had been more adventurous in college. Then I would know what to do in this situation.

"Oh, um. She is on her way now, so I really need to put my clothes on and get ready to go." I was really in a rush to get out the door at this point. I started to chew on my pinky. I hadn't done that in years, proving to myself that being in this predicament wasn't working for me.

Edward got out of my way and I hurried to his room. I closed and locked the door behind me. I was truly mortified with myself and not sure how to deal with that. I threw my clothes back on and put my hair up with a clip I kept in my purse. I took a few deep breaths to calm down before I headed back out to the living room.

I found Edward perched on a chair with a guitar in his lap. He was lazily strumming it and looked up at me when I came into the room. "I see you found everything. Did you want any juice or water?"He smiled at me, but it was a cautious smile.

"No thanks. I really just want Alice to get here." I slammed my hand over my mouth and caught Edward's eye. I hadn't intended to mention anything. Edward looked at me through slanted eyes.

"What is it, Bella? Are you embarrassed about being here with me?" He asked me, sounding a little hurt.

"I know I told you at the bar that going home with some guy I just met isn't exactly normal behavior for me. I just need to go home and process." I was about to say more, when I heard a beep from outside.

"Alice is here, Edward. I have to go" He got up from the chair, and opened the front door for me. He leaned down and kissed me on the forehead.

"Is it okay if I call you?" I nodded to his question and beat it out of there. I really wasn't expecting to hear from him again, and even if I did, what would I say to him?

I got into Alice's beetle and started to cry. She had to help me buckle my seatbelt because I was shaking with my tears.

**A/N: Love it, Hate it? Please review!**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Sorry I'm an idiot…. GO BACK, read Ch 10-Torn and then this will make more sense.+**

**Chapter 11 –End of the World as we Know It**

Alice let me cry the whole way home. She didn't say anything to me as she could tell I needed to get this out. I really hoped she didn't have any lingering guilt for encouraging me to step outside my comfort zone. It was my decision after all. When we got to my driveway, she gently led me into the house and to my bed.

"Just nap for a little bit, Bella. I'll be here when you get up." She pushed me onto my bed, threw a blanket over me and walked out of my room.

I laid there thinking about the night before. I really did like Edward. He was easy to talk to and we had a lot in common. On the flip side of that, instead of doing this as a normal human being, I decide to fuck him after knowing him for about two minutes. I kind of felt a little slutty and regretting my decision the day before. I didn't like feeling that way about myself. I shut my mind down and fell to sleep.

I awoke to Alice's voice on the phone. I couldn't hear much of her conversation, but I did hear Pizza and Ben and Jerry's. Alice, you know me so well. I looked at the clock on my nightstand and saw it was 11:30. I had slept over two hours. I got up, took a shower, and put on some yoga pants and t-shirt. I still felt like a wreck, but at least I didn't look it too much other than the puffy eyes. I combed through my hair, plodded to the living room and found Alice. She had the TV on and was talking on her phone.

"Yes, Jasper. I 'll call you as soon as I know when I'm coming home." She was quiet for a minute." I'm not sure. "She looked up and saw me in the doorway and smiled. "Hey, B's up so I've got to go. I love you" and hung up the phone. She walked over and hugged me long and hard, while steering me to the couch. I was glad she was still there. As Isituated myself and picked up the remote, there was a knock on the door and Rose poked her head in.

"Alice I have the pizza and the Karmel Sutra! Is Bella up yet?" She headed into the kitchen and then saw me on the couch. She immediately put her stuff down and pounced on me giving me a much needed hug. "Oh, Bella, it's ok. Let's talk it out, alright?"

I looked at her and Alice and nodded my head, trying not to cry again. "Rose, I'm not sure if you know this about me, but I am a "good" girl", I don't do this kind of thing." Rose smiled at that.

"Yeah Bella, the tattoos and the naval piercing scream good girl." Rose laughed sarcastically and it helped to ease the tension for a little bit.

"I mean it. I have never just slept with a guy. I am not saying I need to be in love or anything, but I at least need to know them a little bit and maybe even go on a few dates. "I was embarrassed and red faced about this.

"Well, Bella what upsets you the MOST about this situation?" Alice asked.

"Where do I start, Alice? I meet a guy that is MARRIED, has a kid, get drunk, go home with him and have good sex! Jesus! I don't even know his last name for fucks sake!" I could feel the tears of frustration starting again.

I saw Alice and Rose exchange looks across my head. Rose opened her mouth to speak, but Alice beat her to the punch.

"Ok. Out of those three things, what bothers you the MOST?" I looked at her incredulously.

"Really? Aren't they all equally bad? Do we really need to break them down?"

"Yes, B. They do. If it bother you the MOST that you don't know his last name, I can tell you what it is. If it bothers you that he is still married, we can talk about how Kate doesn't live with him and they are getting divorced. If the child is the issue, let's talk about it." I had to hand it to Alice; she was really trying to get me to open up about this.

I closed my eyes to think about what she said. What DID bother me the most? Was it only the embarrassment of acting out of character? And if so, why did it matter? Did I WANT to see Edward again? Hmmm…I think I did.

"B?" Rose cupped my chin so I would look at her." Where are you right now? What can we do to help you out? Is it the fact that you woke up with a strange man? I can help you with that. I have had one night stands before. There are two things that can come out of this situation. One: You see Edward again, two: You don't. Which way are you leaning right now?"

"Rose, a long time ago, my mom told me this about having sex with someone. One of you ALWAYS leaves the bed with feelings. If it isn't you, it's him. What scares me is that I like Edward but I am so embarrassed at the situation. What if he doesn't call me? What if I was just a scratch to an itch? What do I do then?" I started to cry again. Alice wrapped her arms around me again.

"Ok, B. I am back to my three original questions for you. Let's go through each of them ok? Edward's last name is Cullen" She smiled at me. "He and Jasper have known each other for years although they didn't grow up together. And by the way, Jasper has never said anything bad about him. His soon to be ex though is a different story. "

I could tell by Alice's tone that she didn't think much of Kate, so I tried to interrupt her, "What do you-"but she ignored me.

"Now point two. He is legally married, it's true. BUT- he and Kate have had issues since before Emily was born. They got married too young, and even though they tried to make it work for the sake of Emily, it is very obvious that it doesn't anymore. Edward has pushed for a divorce for the past two years and Kate FINALLY agreed to mediation. Point three; yes he is a father and a very devoted one. I know you don't want to be a mom at all, B, so you need to think long and hard about it. When Edward calls you, and he WILL, if his child is an issue, you need to be upfront and honest with him. Otherwise you will both be wasting your time. Now- I'm hungry. Pizza?" With that, Alice flounced out of the room to grab food for us.

Rose was looking at me carefully and I know she could see the emotions reflecting on my face. "You know you can talk to me about anything. In a few days when you are wigging out about this again, we can do a liquid lunch, ok?" Rose smiled and picked up a piece of pizza.

Alice and Rose stayed with me until three o'clock. I kicked them out so I could clean my house, do my laundry and get things in order for work the next morning. It also allowed me time to process everything that they said.

Edward didn't call, so I assumed I was right in the first place. The night meant nothing to him. At least now I knew where I stood. I went to bed that night with a clearer conscience


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N-Sorry Chickies- I forgot to actually NAME the last Chapter- It is TORN.**

**Thanks to all the traffic- you guys are actually reading this and that gives me a warm fuzzy feeling.**

**Grace and Erin-thanks for your mega PR skills and KareBear-You are the comma to my dangling participle or whatev **

**Chapter Title Song on my Tumblr**

**SM owns Twilight, not me **

**Ch 12-Breaking **

My ride to work the next morning was noteworthy to say the least. I was still distracted by my actions over the weekend so I drove past my work, making me have to turn around and speed in order to get there on time. Not really the way I wanted my day to begin. I parked, grabbed my messenger bag and headed to my office. Half way there, I realized I had left my lunch in the car, forcing me to go back and retrieve it. I found Rose sitting on my desk swinging her stiletto heels back and forth holding out a Venti Carmel Macchiato. Maybe my day was starting to look up. I put my bag on my desk, my lunch in the fridge and hugged Rose.

"Have I told you that you are my favorite person in the entire universe, Rose?" I smiled at her.

"Well, not today. I thought you could use a good morning greeting. How are you feeling today?" She asked with concern in her eyes. It was nice to know that Alice wasn't my only good friend in San Diego.

"I don't know, Rose. I think I am more embarrassed than anything. I was really hoping he would call me last night, so I wouldn't feel so whorish, but he didn't and now I'm confused. I acted so out of character and I am not sure what to do about it."

"What do you mean 'what to do about it?'" She seemed curious about my attitude.

"Well, Rose. I thought if he at least called me, it would have proven that it meant something to him. Now I just feel rejected and I'm not good with rejection, that's why I have never done that before. Look, I need to get to work, ok" I pleaded with my eyes to be left alone.

"Sure, Bella. Let me know if you want do that liquid lunch!" Rose left my office after giving me a hug.

I logged into the system and got to work. This coming weekend was an away game, so I had a lot of work to do and I needed to get all the travel arrangements together. I put my IPod onto the speaker dock and set my playlist to my "Smooth/Mellow" and dug into my pile of work. I had a productive morning and lunch time arrived before I knew it. I decided to grab my lunch from the fridge and went outside to enjoy some sunshine. I needed the fresh air.

My phone was vibrating when I returned to my office. I let it go to voicemail as I still had so much work to do and I was pretty sure it was Alice checking on me. I lost myself in my work and the rest of the day flew by. Rose was right when she told me this job would keep me busy. I was glad for that though. I sent Jake a short email letting him know I would call him soon and that I needed advice.

I got in my car and put on the "Evening Commute" playlist and headed home. I was looking forward to a glass of wine and some zoning out time. It had been a whirlwind few days. Once I got home I changed, grabbed some wine and turned on the TV. I made a salad and sat down to eat it when I remembered that Alice had called me earlier. I was surprised she hadn't already called again, so I grabbed my phone, and called her.

"Hi B! How are ya?" Alice's exuberance can always be heard clearly in her voice. It made me smile.

"I'm good chicklette. I thought I would return your call from earlier. I know you were just making sure I was ok and I really appreciate that." I shoved a forkful of salad in my mouth.

"I didn't call you today, B. I figured if you weren't fine, I would have heard from you."

"Oh, ok. Maybe it was Jake. I'll call him after I eat. So, how was your day, Ms A?"

"It was ok. " She whined. "Sometimes I get tired of working near water," She chuckled, "Alright, not really! Anyway I've gotta run. Jasper just got home and we need to figure out the whole' are we going out or eating here dinner 'thing. Love ya, B!"

I decided to finish eating before I called Jake back. I put my plate in the kitchen sink, filled my glass back up and settled back on the couch for a long discussion with my bestie. I hit the missed call button and dropped my phone. The number staring at me from my screen was Edward's. Oh crap. What do I do now? I had just resigned myself to my situation, so I picked the phone back up and called Rose.

"Hey, it's me. HELP!" I started to breathe heavy.

"OH MY GOD! Bella! Are you ok? What happened?" I could tell I had Rose in a tizzy and I needed to calm down so she could calm down. I took a deep breath and calmed down.

"Rose, I'm fine I think. Um, Edward left me a voicemail when I was at lunch today and I just freaked out. I don't know what to do."

"Well isn't it a good thing that he called you Bella? It kinda proves you weren't a onetime thing for him. What did the message say? "I could tell she was curious by the tone of her voice.

"I didn't listen to it. I saw his number and freaked out. Maybe I should hear what he has to say?" She was ready to come through the phone and kick my ass, I could tell.

Rose took a very deep breath. "For fucks sake, Bella. Listen to the message and then call me back if you are too freaked out to talk to him, ok?"

"Ok. Thanks Rose. You seem to be talking me back from panic attacks a lot in the past two days." I hung up the phone and dialed my voicemail.

_Hey Bella, it's me, Edward. Sorry I didn't call you yesterday but something came up with Kate and I ended up having Emily overnight. I really did want to call you though. Please call me soon; I would like to make plans to see you again. Bye._

I could hear the apprehension in his voicemail, so I decided to free him of his misery and call him back. What did I have to lose?

**A/N: Love it, hate it? Please review**

**I have been known to answer a question or two if you leave one in your review **


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Thanks for the traffic I am getting…**

**Ch 13- Call Me**

After what seemed to be four hours of hesitation, but was really about ten minutes, I called Edward back. As his phone rang, I took some deep breaths to help keep me calm. His phone was picked up by his voicemail and I tried not to stutter while leaving him a message.

"HI Edward, this is Bella…..returning your call….sorry I didn't call you back sooner but I didn't get your message until late in the day….ok. Bye"

I sounded so dorky, but oh well. Nothing I could do about it now, and he should know right off the bat that I am a little on the kooky side. I finished my glass of wine and decided I had enough for the night. I double checked my locks and headed to bed. I slept pretty soundly that night, despite the turmoil in my head.

The next day dawned as bright as my mood. It had definitely been elevated overnight. Hearing Edward's voicemail made my whole outlook better, who knew? I sang to myself as I showered and got ready to go. I even straightened my hair before I left the house early, eager to get my day started.

Once I was settled in my office, I turned my phone on. There was a message and I almost dropped my phone out of excitement. I checked my missed call log, but it was Jake that had called me. Dangit, I can't believe I got so excited for nothing. Realistically, I realized Edward was at work, so it wouldn't have been him. What was this guy doing to me?

I was concentrating so hard on my work that I didn't hear Rose come into my office. When she tapped me on the shoulder, I jumped about three feet in the air.

"Dammit, Rose! You are cat stealthy and you scared the crap out of me!" I said giggling.

"Well, Miss Bella. It seems like you are in a GREAT mood today. Could this have anything to do with a certain man that is on your mind?" Rose was batting her eyelashes at me.

"Maybe" I said coyly. "I didn't speak to him, but I left a message for him." The grin on my face probably couldn't get bigger.

"So, I take it you liked what he had to say in the message? "

"Yes, I did. He said he wanted to make plans to get together soon. I told him just to call me, so we'll see how that goes. I am very happy to have heard from him though, so no more paranoia about being a one-time thing"

"If you say so, but I am sure this won't be the only time you freak out about life in general. So- did you want to do lunch today?"

"Sure thing let me finish this expense report and I will meet you at the elevators in ten." I winked at Rose and got back to work.

Rose and I hit a nearby taco shop for lunch and chatted about the upcoming weekend. We were trying to make plans, but I was a little hesitant until I heard back from Edward. Luckily, Rose understood that so she didn't push. She did tell me that I was to call her as soon as I hung up with him, though.

As I was packing up my bag to go home that afternoon, my phone rang. I glanced at the screen and saw Edward's name, took a deep breath and answered the phone.

"Hello?" I put my messenger bag on my shoulder and headed for my car.

"Hi Bella, its Edward. I got your message this morning as I was sleeping when you called." Edward's voice sounded like velvet to me.

"Oh, sorry. I didn't realize the time when I called. I hope the ring didn't wake you up" I said contritely.

"It's fine. I get up at three in the morning to go to work, so I am usually asleep by nine at night. So, what are your plans for the rest of the afternoon?" He asked.

"Tonight? Didn't you just say you go to bed a bit early?"

"Yeah, but maybe we hang out for an hour or two?"

"Sure. I am leaving work now and I should be home in about thirty minutes. Did you want to meet at my house and we can walk to the beach?" I was glad that I had put in a little effort this morning instead of throwing my hair into a ponytail.

"That sounds fine. I am kind of in the area anyway so I can meet you there. I am looking forward to seeing you again, fair Bella," Edward hung up and I fangirl screamed for a minute.

I ran out to my car, calling Alice on the way.

"He called! He is meeting me at the house so I can't talk, but he called and I am so excited about it," I rushed out.

"B, that is awesome. I am sure you will have a good time. Just try to relax and get to know him, ok. Be you and he will have no choice but to adore you." Alice was always on my side.

"Hey can you do me a favor and call Rose with an update? I really need to get my ass in gear, and I promised her I would fill her in."

"Of course I can do that, but FULL disclosure this week, lady!"

"Thanks Alice. I love you." She and I disconnected and I jumped in the car and headed home. I looked at my watch when I pulled into the driveway and noticed I had about ten minutes until Edward would be here. I ran into the house and scanned over the cleanliness factor. Not too bad, I mused to myself. I ran down the hall to change into jeans and a t-shirt. I also grabbed a sweatshirt out of my closet, in case we did end up at the beach. I ran a brush through my hair and was back in the living room in no time flat. To say I was excited would have been an understatement.

I had just opened a beer when I heard a car pull up outside. Trying to not to scream out loud, I headed to the front door. When I looked out, I saw Edward getting out of a VW Jetta. Interesting because I knew he had a Camaro and a motorcycle. Me being me, I just had to snark about the vehicle.

"How many modes of transportation does one man need, Edward?" I winked at him when he saw me.

"This is my daughter's car, "he explained. "Getting a booster seat in and out of a two door car is a challenge." He smiled and walked over to where I was standing. "So, Miss Bella can I get a beer too or is this a woman only drinking day?" He gave me a quick hug and walked into the house.

I stood outside for a few seconds trying to calm myself down and realizing that there wasn't any awkwardness. Not only was the guy hot, he had a great sense of humor too. He was bound to be my undoing.

I followed Edward into the house and found him looking at the few pictures I had on my mantle. He had the picture of Jake and me in his hands and he was smiling.

"Wow Bella, nice blue mohawk! I bet you were a handful growing up. Who is this guy?" He asked.

"That's Jake, my best friend. He and I got into a lot of trouble as teenagers. My mom encouraged me to be who I felt I was and my dad almost had a few heart attacks during my teenage years. "

Edward looked at me, put the picture back and smiled. "So, can I get that beer? Hey let's put them in plastic cups so we can take that walk to the beach. It's about three blocks, right?"

"Sure, we can do that. We can grab them and then I'll show you around my cute little house first, ok?"

Edward followed me into the kitchen and grabbed a beer from the fridge as I rummaged for cups. "Do you like this area of town?"He asked.

"I do, but I haven't really explored San Diego yet to make an accurate decision. C'mon, let me show you around." I grabbed his hand and pulled him from the kitchen. He looked down at our hands and smiled, so I was sure he didn't mind the contact.

"I'm sure you have been in here when Jasper lived here but I made some changes. I added shelves to the second bedroom for my books. I have a desk that I seldom sit at, though." Edward looked around my office and headed to the bookshelves.

"You have an eclectic taste in reading material. Who would you say is your favorite author?"

"Poe. I love dark and mysterious." I winked at him. "Let's continue our tour, shall we?"

"Hmm….Bella I believe your bedroom is next in the tour, isn't it?" He raised an eyebrow at me and I laughed. I was over any amount of nervousness that I had started with.

"Maybe I won't show you then, Edward. We can always just head to the beach and play the 'getting to know you' game." I winked at him over my shoulder as I left the room. He followed me to my bedroom and just took a glance around.

"Fair is fair, Bella. I did show you mine after all. Let's go for our walk." He grabbed my hand and pulled me to the front door.

**A/N: Love it, Hate it? Let me know**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Hi everyone *waves* Thanks for reading my little ditty.**

**Thanks to Erin, Grace and KareBear for their mad PR/Beta skills.**

**Chapter title song on my Tumblr**

**SM owns Twilight, I own a kegorator**

**Ch 14-Walking On Sunshine**

Edward and I started to head towards the beach. There is a little fish shack at the end of the pier so we made the decision to walk to that and grab some food before heading back to my place. The minute we hit the sidewalk, Edward turned to me and cleared his throat.

"So, care to tell me about Saturday morning? You seemed really upset when you left. Would you like to talk about what happened?"

Wow, way to remind me of my nervousness, I thought.

"I have never just gone home with a random guy before, Edward. I have always known someone and gone on a few dates with them before I slept with them. It was really uncharacteristic of me to go home with you, even if I was buzzed." I couldn't look at him as I spoke.

Edward stopped walking, and turned me to look at him. "You need to understand something. I don't take random girls to my house. I sensed a connection with you and I didn't want it to end. Even if we had just sat up and talked, I would have been ok with that." He searched my eyes to make sure I understood what he was saying.

"Did you think that I expected us to have sex? I'm not really that kind of guy and I'm sorry if that is the impression I gave you. I tend to get to know someone a little better too." He smiled.

I took a deep breath, "Well, then let's get to know each other a little better. Would you like to start with the questions?"

"God Bella, it's not an interrogation!" He laughed."Tell you what, I ask you a question you answer it, then I will answer the same question. How does that sound?"

"Sounds like we are playing a version of Truth or Dare. Go ahead, but be warned, I may plead the fifth every once in a while." With that, we started to walk again.

"Let's start with the basics. How old are you and what is your whole name? I can't believe I didn't even get this out of you the other night."

"The easy ones first, huh? Isabella Marie Swan, I prefer Bella but on occasion my bestie calls me Izzy. I just turned 25. Your turn." I smiled.

"Edward Anthony Cullen and I turned 30 this past June. I only like to be called Edward and God on certain occasions." He winked at me.

"How are you related to Emmett and Alice?"

"Our moms are sisters. I know you aren't related to them so what question are you going to answer?"

"How about this: I am the same age as Emmett and we semi run in the same circles when it comes to sports. Jasper and I have a few of the same friends. Does that work for you?" Edward moved a little closer to me as we walked onto the beach itself.

"Let's sit on the pier after we get our food, ok?" He asked.

"Fine with me." He and I headed to the end of the IB Pier and ordered fried shrimp and fries. We took the food to the first available seat and continued talking. We had a lot in common when it came to music and books. We also talked a little about the tattoos we each had, with him promising me his artist's name when I was ready for my next one. Things were going really well until he brought up the one subject I wasn't sure about.

"As you know, I have a four year old daughter, Bella. I need to know how you really feel about that." The look in Edwards's eyes told me that this was going to be an extremely serious topic.

I was hesitant to be honest with him, but I knew I had to be if we were going to be anything more than friends, so I took a deep breath and told him the truth. "I can tell you that being a mom is not on my radar at all. I don't have the maternal need to thrust a kid out of my loins and I am not overly fond of being around kids. You have one and I am not sure what that means for us." I sighed and looked to the ocean. "Can you tell me a bit about the situation you have with her and her mom, please?" I kept my eyes focused on my shoes while I waited for his response.

"Thanks for telling me the truth. First off, Emily has a mother and her name is Kate. Even though Kate and I are no longer together as a couple, we are still together as parents. I have a set schedule of when I see Emily and we don't deviate from that unless something comes up like this past Sunday. I am extremely devoted to my daughter. I want us to start seeing each other, but if you can't get past the fact that I am a dad, this won't work out. "Edward grasped my hands in his and looked directly into my eyes.

"You have to tell me what you think about all this, Bella."

I looked straight at him and said, "Tell me what your normal schedule is with Emily."

He grinned and kissed my cheek. "I pick Emily up on Tuesdays and Thursdays after work and she and I hang out at the park or the zoo. I get her every Friday night and her mom picks her up on Saturdays about noon. This means that I would be unavailable on Fridays unless it was planned in advance and Kate and I can come to an agreement on it. Would you be okay with that? My time sometimes can be limited and I need you to go into this relationship knowing that." He had such a hopeful look in his eyes that it made me smile.

"Sure Edward, we can see where this goes. Right now, though we should head back to my house. You get up early in the morning and I don't want to be blamed for your tiredness." We stood up, held hands and walked back to my house.

When we got there, Edward walked me to my front door, gave me a chaste kiss goodnight and walked to his car. Before he climbed into it, he promised to call me tomorrow.

I think I floated through the door after he left.

**A/N: Love it, hate it? Please review**

**ANSWER to a question: The chapters are short because I have no outline or anything that I go by. As this is based on my real life, I write until I feel the chapter is complete. This means mostly short chapters, but hey- I DO update 2 times a week…**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Thanks for all the lovely reviews. I have been trying to answer your questions when you post them in your review. If I missed you, I apologize so feel free to PM me.**

**Thanks Erin, Grace and KareBear for your lovely PR/Beta skills…**

**Slappers-thanks for your continued support!**

**Please remember that this story is 90% based on my real life adventures**

**Chapter Title song on my Tumblr…**

**Ch 15-Can't Get You Outta My Head**

My Edward- induced bliss cloud carried me through work the next day. I was so deeply enraptured in my bubble, that I didn't notice anyone walk into my office, until I heard a throat clearing loudly. I jumped and looked up to see Emmett smiling at me.

"Well Bella, it took you five minutes to even notice I was here. Whatcha daydreaming about?" He raised an eyebrow at me.

"Nothing," I replied slyly. "Do you and Rose have any plans tonight? I want to try and get her and Alice in the same room with me for some much needed girl talk." I batted my eyelashes at him.

"Ask her, B. She can hang out with you if she wants. She's in a meeting right now but she'll be around in about an hour." He gave me a look that spelled trouble. "Is there anything you want to talk to ME about?" He chuckled. "Maybe about some guy you boned and now may be dating? Hmm?"

"Oh my God, Emmett!" I picked my stress ball up and threw it at him, but of course he caught it." You are probably the LAST person I want to talk to about this, ok?" I could feel my face heat up. "However, when I want to get into the male psyche, I will call you, promise. Now go perform therapy on some Charger physicals!"

"Sure thing. I need to run, just stopping by to say hi and give you some shit. It's what a good cousin would do." He left my office as quickly as he entered it.

Since I knew Rose was in a meeting, I sent her an email requesting her presence for margaritas this evening. Then I left Alice a message demanding she be there as well. I couldn't wait to see my girls so I could tell them how it went with Edward.

I left work and drove directly to Chevy's to meet the girls. Alice was already knee deep in nachos and Rose was just sliding into the booth with a pitcher of margaritas. As I walked over I saw Rose drinking straight from the pitcher instead of her glass. Nice and classy, Rose is.

"Well ladies, is there a glass for me, or is Rose going pitcher for pitcher tonight?" I laughed and slid into the booth next to Alice and helped myself to a chip.

Rose quirked her eyebrow , shrugged and put the pitcher down and poured it into the glasses. "Maybe I want Emmett to have to pick me up tonight like a pretend date."

Alice laughed "Really Rose? You have been with him since you were 18, does he need help getting into your panties?" She turned her face to me. "You…Drink…Talk…Now!"

"Gee Alice, maybe Jasper loves the domineering but I don't. I will spill, let me catch my breath." I drank half of my drink and picked up the menu.

"First things first, are we sharing apps or going all out with real dinner?" I asked. Both girls looked at me exasperated and then looked at each other. Alice got her words out before Rose could.

"Why are you so calm right now? What happened yesterday? Oh and lets share apps." She shut her menu and gave me the stink eye, right as our waiter came over.

We ordered another pitcher and some appetizers. As soon as he walked away, Rose pounced. "Give it up, girlie." I could tell my hesitation was wearing on their nerves.

"Ok, so I left him a message on Monday and he called me back yesterday. I guess he gets up super early for work so he was asleep when I called. He came over and we took a walk to the beach and then we talked."

Alice refilled our glasses, and nudged me. "More please."

"Did you guys have sex again?" Rose asked. "Did you ride his pony?" She was laughing pretty loud now.

"Jesus woman! How much did you two drink before I got here? Do I need to call your significant others on you?" I was giggling at this point. I loved my girls, even if they were acting a little crazy right now.

"NO, we did not have sex again. He did ask me why I was so uncomfortable on Sunday morning and I was honest with him about it." I drank the rest of my margarita as our food arrived, so I ordered some water. I did need to drive home at some point.

"He brought up Emily and wanted to know how I felt about the whole thing."

"What did you tell him, B?" Alice looked at me curiously.

"The truth. That I don't want children and how non-maternal I am." I looked down at my plate. "It was hard to be honest about that."

"How did he take it?" Rose asked.

"He said he wants to see me, so I guess we are going to date and see how it goes." I couldn't stop the huge grin that came over my face. " I am still confused about him having a child, though. But I like him, so I want to try this."

Rose and Alice squealed at the same time then raised their glasses and toasted my new possible relationship.

"I think this could be the beginning of a beautiful relationship," Rose said.

"So you are now quoting movies? Time to go, ladies!" With that we paid our check and left the restaurant.

I checked my voicemail once I got home, but nothing from Edward yet. I didn't let this bother me as I knew he got up early for work. Besides I wasn't a needy girl, he didn't have to call me the day after our talk.

I got ready for bed still feeling elated. I fell asleep with a smile on my face.

**A/N: Love it? Hate it? **


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Thanks for the traffic and reviews I have been receiving!**

**Grace and Erin- your PR skills rule. I have a new BETA, Linds, so if there are any glaring errors, it is her fault LOL**

**Chapter title song on my Tumblr…Feel free to ask me questions about what is real or fiction..**

**Chapter 16-Just Can't Get Enough **

I woke up a little late the next morning, and there was already a text message from Edward sent at three a.m. I grinned and clicked it open.

_Good Morning Bella. Planning on calling you after I get off work today, so you'd better answer _

I rushed through my shower, threw my hair up in a bun, slipped on some jeans and a t-shirt. Today I was grateful for the casual atmosphere at work. I grabbed my messenger bag and raced to my car.

I got to work with a few minutes to spare. I helped myself to a large coffee from the break room and buckled down to work. It only took about two minutes for my thoughts to wander to Edward. The next time I saw him, I needed to ask to see a picture of Emily. I had an image of a little girl with his green eyes. Even though being around a child scared me, I wanted to learn about her so that if this relationship worked, I would be less intimidated when I met her. Plus, if I was being honest with myself, I was curious as to what his ex looked like.

I was really busy which made the time pass pretty quickly. Travel expenses were always heavy in a travel week, especially when some of the players waited until the last minute to turn in travel companion papers. I glanced at my wrist when I heard my phone ring and smiled. It was only two-fifteen so I knew it was Edward.

"Hello"

"Hi Bella. Are you busy?" Edward asked.

"I can take a small break. How are you?"

"I'm fine. How long can you break for?" I could hear a lot of background noise.

"A couple of minutes, I guess. I have been busy today. It's really noisy behind you, are you on your Bluetooth?"

I heard shuffling and a pining sound, then Edward answered me. "Nope, not the Bluetooth. But I am in an area with a lot of noise." I heard more pining and shuffling, so I reached over to turn my music down in order to hear him better. Just as I was about to speak, there was a knock on the frame next to my open office door. I looked up to tell whomever it was that I would see them later only to see Edward standing in my doorway with a shit eating grin on his face. My mouth dropped in surprise.

I hung up my phone and walked over to him. "What are you doing here?" I was really happy to see him.

"I was in the neighborhood?" He hugged me and followed me over to my desk. "Can we chat for a couple of minutes or are you really busy?"

"We can chat. I am glad to see you. How did you know how to find me?" I raised an eyebrow at him.

"I called Emmett." He replied sheepishly. "I won't keep you, I just wanted to see you, say hi and maybe pinch your ass on my way out." He wiggled his eyebrow at me. The eyebrow wiggle and ass comment had me thinking of various exit plans. I had to shake myself out of my daydream to concentrate on what he was saying.

"I was thinking we could do the official first date thing this Saturday night. You can drive to my house then we can go to dinner together. What do you think?" Edward looked at me hopefully. "Oh and you can even spend the night again if you would like to, no pressure though."

"Sure. Just text me your address and what time you want me there. I need to get back to work, though. I haven't been here long enough to be a full time slacker. Can I walk you down to the lobby?" I motioned him out of my office and checked his ass out on the way.

"Sure." Edward grabbed my hand and we took the elevator down together. When we got there, I tried to give him a chaste kiss goodbye, but he deepened it a little bit, leaving me breathless. I pushed him out the door and went back to my desk to try to dig back into my work. I had to push all thoughts of my impending date to the back of my mind or I wouldn't have gotten anything done. The rest of the afternoon flew by and before I knew it, I was on my way to the grocery store and then home.

I called Jake once I was settled in for the night, but it went to voicemail. I left him a quick 'call me when you get a chance, I met a guy' message, then went to make dinner. I ate and cleaned up my kitchen and decided to read some fluffy magazines in bed for a while. I was still tired from the margaritas the night before.

Friday dawned nice and sunny. I could get used to this weather as it was vastly different from Seattle. The day tends to drag by once the team is on the road. I spent a lot of time fantasizing about my date and quelling my nervousness down.

I called my mom just to give her a quick update, but I didn't mention Edward to her. My mom never asks me about men. I only mention them when they are sticking around for a little bit. I did like Edward but until there was a relationship to talk about, there wasn't a reason to bring it up in casual conversation. Once I got off the phone with my mom, I was ready for some wine and a bad movie. Nothing clears the week better than horrible TV that I wouldn't admit to watching.

I received a text from Edward with his address, and I decided to text him back with wardrobe questions.

_Is the place we are going casual or dressier?_

_Casual, jeans and t is fine._

_Tx. What time?_

_5my house._

_CU 2moro!_

_C U_

'_Night_

I went to bed that night with high hopes for a great first date the following night.

**A/N: Love It? Hate It?**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: Thanks to Erin and Grace for their PR skills and Linds for her Master Beta-ing (sounds dirty) Smirk Licker- I DO NOT have questionable music taste LOL**

**Answer to question: All my characters are based on real people in my life, sometimes a combo of people in 1.**

**Chapter title song is on my Tumblr- do you even go over there? I post notes sometimes about the song.**

**SM owns Twilight**

**Ch 17-Just a Girl-**

I was too excited to sleep Friday night. I finally calmed myself down close to two and fell into a deep sleep. The text alert on my phone woke me and I smiled thinking it was from Edward. I pulled my phone under the covers with me and glanced at the screen. It was eleven but the text was from Jake asking me if I was awake yet. I propped up in bed ready for a chat with my bestie, and dialed the phone.

Jake picked up on the first ring, "B! How the hell are you my crazy little friend?" He shouted at me.

"Jake, where have you been? I've been leaving you messages for days, Mr. you don't call, and you don't write…what did I ever do to you? You have some explaining to do." I loved to scold Jake.

"Well, my dear, Leah and I took a much needed get away to a cabin this week. Sorry that I didn't let you know ahead of time, but since when you are so anxious to talk to little old me?"

"I just wanted some advice on a man subject but I think I have it figured out." I proceeded to break down the past weeks actions to Jake. He only tried to interrupt me once, which was a record for him. Once I filled him in on the date tonight, I let him speak.

"B, it sounds as if you like this guy, right?" He asked. "So is the kid a deal breaker in the long run? It isn't fair to you, him or his child if you aren't going to put a real effort in." Jake took a breath and continued on, "I also think you shouldn't meet his kid until you are 100% sure about your feelings for him." I thought that over a little bit. It seemed pretty rational.

"Thanks Jake, you always make so much sense. I think you're right about me meeting Emily. I would like to sometime in the not so near future, but there should be a solid foundation before I do. What would I do without you?" I asked in jest.

"Forget it Izzy and admit I will always be the Obi Wan to your Luke Skywalker." Jake said knowing how much I adored Star Wars humor. "I gotta run to work, but I wanted you to know I wasn't ignoring you. I love you B!"

"Bye Jake, I love you too." I tossed the phone to the side and took a mental inventory of my closet. I knew that I wanted to wear jeans, I just wasn't sure what top. Inspiration would strike at the right time and right now wasn't the right time. What about an overnight bag? Was I supposed to pack one and be prepared just in case? It's not like I hadn't already spent the night, but by doing that, was I only asking for sex? I needed to call Alice for advice, so I picked my phone back up and dialed her number.

"Hello?" She answered sounding tired.

"Hi Ali. You sound beat, late night?"

"Sorta" She yawned. "We stayed in but watched movies into the night. What can I help you with? You aren't thinking of cancelling are you? Is that why you're calling?" Alice asked panicked, and waking up.

"No, silly. I'm thinking about packing an overnight bag, but I don't want to be presumptuous. On the other hand, I kind of want to spend the night minus the sex part."

"Oh honey. What do you mean 'minus the sex part'? You sound confused. He has already seen you in all your naked glory though, so what is the hesitation for?"

"I made a big deal out of things last weekend and… I… don't know" I stuttered over my words. Alice could tell something was bothering me as usual. "I kind of want to spend the night, but I want to do it on my terms, without the alcohol clouding my judgment. Does this make sense?"

"It does make sense. Why don't you pack an overnight bag but leave it in the car? This way you have either option available without Edward knowing. If you want to spend the night but NOT have sex, make sure he understands that, ok? And don't feel as if you HAVE to spend the night just because you already have."

"That makes sense. Thanks chicky, I knew I could count on you, again. I gotta go. I need to finish my laundry and tidy up the joint before I get ready to go to Edward's." I hopped out of bed and gathered my laundry together, hauling it to the garage. Once I got that going, I traipsed into the living room and threw on my favorite cleaning playlist LATIN/DANCE and got to it. I am a mostly neat person, but I do like to clean every week to keep on top of it. I was pretty sweaty once I was done with my chores and ready to get ready for my date.

I could barely contain my excitement as I climbed into the shower. I took extra time exfoliating and lady-scaping in case I DID spend the night. I double conditioned my hair to make it extra soft as well. I hoped out of the shower and eyed my closet. I grabbed out my favorite comfy jeans and put them on. I decided to wander around in my bra while I did my hair and make-up. Hoping that by the time that was all done, I would know what I wanted to wear. I wanted to be causal but cool chick at the same time. I had several tops in my closet that could portray that, but I didn't want to wear a t-shirt.

After assuring myself that my hair looked fabulous, I put on some light make-up and grabbed my messenger bag. I pulled out my laptop and tossed in my toothbrush, a pair of satin tap pants with a matching camisole and a shirt for tomorrow. I wasn't sure about spending the night, but I did like the idea of keeping the option open. I finally decided on my pink wrap around shirt that had a lace back and my pink chuck taylors. I was a girl, after all.

I checked the time and saw that I had fifteen minutes to get to Edward's. It would be ok if I was a little late as that was what most women did. I grabbed a sweatshirt out of my closet, my bag, purse and keys and hopped into Sally. Even the cooler temperature couldn't sway my attitude. I was ready for this date!

**A/N: Love It? Hate It? Got a question for me? Please review**


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Thanks Erin, Grace and Linds for keeping me on track**

**Thanks to all the people that have actually reviewed- I read and reply to most of them and I can't thank you enough for caring about my sordid tale**

**Chapter Song is on my tumblr**

**Ch 18-First Date**

When I parked in front of Edward's house, the garage door was up. His neighborhood was more residential than I expected. Of course, the last time I was here, it was night and I was drunk. Edward was bending over to grab something out of the back seat of his jetta, so I took a minute to check him out. Black jeans and tee, perfect. He had a box of crayons and a stuffed dinosaur in his hand and turned to smile at me.

"Hi Bella right on time, sort of. I need to put this stuff in Emily's room. Come on in." He gave me a one armed hug and led me through the open door and into his kitchen.

I glanced around acquainting myself more with his house. His refrigerator was covered in pictures and concert tickets from over the years. I pointed to one from Alice in Chains. "I wish I had a chance to see them before Layne OD'd."

There were also a bunch of pictures of a blonde haired, green eyed girl that I assumed must be Emily. I pointed at one of them and asked him. "Is this Emily?" Edward smiled, and took the picture off the fridge.

"Yes this is her. This was two weeks ago when we had the naming ceremony for the dinosaur" he held out the stuffed animal to me." That is why she is wearing a tiara. She dubbed him." He chuckled at the memory. "She is an interesting kid, that's for sure."

I smiled at the stuffed Stegosaurus. "What did she name him, or is it a she?"

"It's a boy. She wanted to give him a 'real' writer's name, so we dubbed him John Spineback."

I laughed. "He is such an adult writer for a four year old."

"Come on; let me really show you the house. I was slightly distracted the last time you were here." Edward took my hand and led me down the hall. "In case you can't figure it out, this is Emily's room." I looked at the door with a pink monkey sign on the front and smiled. He opened the door and I was greeted with a bright pink room with white accessories. Edward set Emily's stuff down on her pink covered bed.

"Goodness it's bright in here."

"She picked the color out herself. I wanted her to feel comfortable here without her mom around. She even helped me paint it." He rolled his eyes, took my hand again and led me to the back room.

"This is the computer room. And that concludes our tour for the evening, unless you want to see MY room again?" He chuckled. "Do you need anything out of your car before we go?" Edward asked as he led me back out to the kitchen.

"Just my sweatshirt."

"Let's go then. " Edward and I left through the garage. He walked me to my car to get my sweatshirt and noticed my bag.

"Do you want to put your laptop in the house to keep it safe? It's a good neighborhood but if you would feel better we can leave it in the house." I blushed at his comment.

"Ummm, ok. If you don't mind?"

"Not at all. Put it on the kitchen table while I pull out the Camaro." I grabbed my bag and headed back into the house. I was a little embarrassed about the bag, but if he thought it was my laptop, I would keep up the charade. This way if I didn't spend the night, it wouldn't be any less awkward. I went back out to find Edward holding my door open for me.

"Your chariot awaits, madam," He bowed low and helped me into the car.

"Why thank you kind sir." I giggled. Edward went around to the driver's side and got it. He closed the garage door and turned to me.

"I wasn't sure what kind of food you liked, so I figured we would just go to Gordon Biersch. Have you ever been there?" I shook my head. "You'll like it." We drove for about ten minutes chatting about music before he pulled over and parked. He came around to my side of the car to open my door for me. We walked into the lobby of the restaurant and were seated pretty quickly. I took a look around and smiled.

"It is a casual pub type of atmosphere but with a large selection of better food. Tons of beer on tap, if you choose to drink…" Edward hesitated. "I'm not trying to get you drunk or anything." He looked down for a minute. "What I'm trying to say is I would LOVE for you to spend the night again, but only on your terms. I know how much last weekend freaked you out and I don't want to scare you."

I smiled at him, he couldn't know this but he was saying all the right things to make me comfortable with him. Maybe he and I can make this work, I thought.

I reached across the table and grabbed Edwards's hand. "Don't worry. If the thought of a child hasn't scared me away yet, you have a pretty good chance of me sticking around." I clapped my hand over my mouth. "I'm sorry if that sounded offensive. Kids wig me out a little."

"It's ok, Bella. You have been honest with me about children. We are going to hang out and get to know each other. You do realize though, that Emily and I are a packaged deal, right? There will be no ME without her, eventually."

"I know. I want to get to know her through you, ok? I am willing to work on that."

The rest of the date went pretty well after that. Edward and I seem to gravitate into a bubble when we are together. We ordered different entrees and shared them, laughing at how cliché we seemed to be. I couldn't remember a time when a first date went so well.

We both got a beer, but I stopped at one. I wanted to keep my wits about me when I made the decision whether to go home or not. When we got up to leave, Edward helped me into my sweatshirt as it had gotten chilly out. I pulled the hood over my head and Edward started laughing.

"Are those EARS on your hood?" I felt my hood and grinned.

"It's my Emily the Strange, and it is fabulous so quit laughing at me!" I mocked hit him in the shoulder. He and I got into his car and headed back to his house. Edward opened the garage door, and helped me out of the car.

"Ummm…did you want to come in for a bit or are you heading home?" He seemed shy all of a sudden.

"I thought I would come in, if it's ok with you?" I asked hopefully.

"Of course it is, Bella. I like having you around. "He flung his arm around my shoulder and led me into his house. He got me a beer out of the fridge and we sat down in the living room. Even though the TV was on, we didn't pay much attention to it as we were talking again. He filled me in on more of the situation with Kate as well as a ton of funny stories about Emily.

I suddenly yawned, drawing attention to how late it was. Edward looked at his watch, and then looked at me. "Let me walk you out, Bella. It's late and you're tired."

I put my hand out to stop him. "It's ok, Edward. I brought stuff with me to spend the night, if it's ok?"

He grinned, "Of course its ok, Bella. Is it in your laptop bag?" He got up to grab my bag for me.

"Actually, there isn't a laptop in there. I brought clothes for tomorrow and something to sleep in. I know we already had sex and everything, but tonight I really want to just share a bed. Are you alright with that?"

"If that's what you need to feel more comfortable about this, then of course. Are there any 'rules'?" He wiggled an eyebrow at me.

"The only rule is that there will be no goodies tonight, other than kissing. I am not that kind of girl, past actions not withstanding." I laughed and Edward chuckled with me.

"You know that I don't hold that against you, right?"

"Yea, I figured as much."

He led me down the hall to his room. "You can use the bathroom in here. I'll use the hall one."

I went into the bathroom and took a deep breath to calm down a little bit. Even though I had made the decision to stay I was a little nervous. I brushed my teeth and my hair and changed into my jammies. I folded my clothes and put them back in my bag, but I left my toothbrush on the sink. I walked into the room and climbed into bed. I could hear Edward making the rounds and locking things up.

He came in and climbed in next to me. He pulled me to him and snuggled into my hair. He gave me a few kissed on my temple, running his fingers through my hair. I relaxed into him and fell asleep completely content.

**A/N: Love it? Hate It? please review… **


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: Thanks Erin, Grace and Linds for the "extra"work you put in.**

**Thanks to everyone that is reading and reviewing**

**Chapter title song on myTumblr**

**Ch 19-Lips like Sugar**

I woke up to feather light kisses creating a path up my neck, back down and across my shoulder. It felt nice, so I snuggled closer to Edward's body. This spurred him on, so he added more pressure to the kisses and starting ghosting his palm over my breast and under my top.

"Are you trying to wake me up, Mr Cullen?" I could hear the sleep in my voice.

"You should thank me for letting you sleep in. Having you next to me all night required restraint." He chuckled.

"Then thank you. What time is it? I can't see my watch." I felt Edwards head move slightly and then his lips were back on my shoulder. "It's a little after eight. Do you need to get up and moving or do we have some time together this morning?" He resumed his kissing path up and down my neck.

"I have nowhere I would rather be right now. Whatcha doing?" Edwards other hand started ghosting up and down my stomach. The feelings were intense.

"I was thinking about making you feel good this morning. Is that alright?" His left hand was still wrapped around my breast and his right hand was circling my bellybutton ring, creating an almost tickling feeling. I shivered at the contact. He started to pull on my nipple making it into a hardened peak.

"That feels good, Edward." I whispered and pushed into his hand. My nerves were on edge just by him caressing one of my tits. His hand started moving south of my bellybutton.

"You like this, Bella?" His voice was husky. His hand went under the elastic of my pajama pants. I stiffened a little bit, and Edward relaxed his hand. "You can stop me at any time, ok? Whatever you're comfortable with." He reminded me. I relaxed and his hand continued under my bottoms, pushing them down my legs. I helped him remove them and jumped when I felt his finger on my clit and he started to rub.

"Fuck Edward, don't stop …." I begged. He increased his pressure on my clit and moved his palm against the rest of me while his other hand was pulling on my nipple. Edward shifted me onto my back, making me groan with the loss of contact.

"It's just for a second, Bella. Let me get comfy, here" Then he dove under the sheets and stuck his tongue on my clit. I arched my back at the unexpected contact and shrieked.

"Edward, wait….I haven't even brushed my teeth yet…" His chuckling tickled me.

"I don't think that matters right now, Bella. Now quit squirming while I get you off." He flattened his tongue and lazily stroked up and down my folds, causing the most intense sensations throughout my body. He sucked on my clit and started to lightly stroke me on the inside with a finger.

"Shit…that feels so good…mmmmmm" He sped up his finger and added a second one. His tongue was back to making lazy passes over my clit. It felt really good and I couldn't stop moving around. He looked up at me and smirked, grabbed my hand, stuck two of my fingers into his mouth to make them wet and placed them on my clit.

"Work with me, Bella. Rub yourself while I fuck you with my fingers." He licked the hand that was now on my clit and added a third finger inside me. I could feel the coil in my stomach moving further south.

"Ugh…Edward….you're gonna make me come…."

"That was the whole point Bella….come for me….." He moved my hand off of my clit with his mouth and started sucking on me again. It was too much and I exploded. His strokes slowed down and he removed his hands and mouth from me. His smirk made me giggle even though I was out of breath.

I ran my hands through his hair. "That was a nice way to wake up Edward." I finally caught my breath and reached for him, but he pushed my hand away.

"This was all about you, don't worry about me. Breakfast?" He looked at his watch, "Maybe more like brunch." He jumped out of bed and disappeared into the bathroom. I laid there catching my breath and smiling like the Cheshire Cat. A girl could get used to that kind of greeting. Once Edward came out of the bathroom, he came over and kissed me on the cheek and threw on some jeans. "I'll meet you in the kitchen."

I climbed out of bed and stumbled into the bathroom, trying to regain the use of my legs. I couldn't remember having experienced such an intense orgasm before. I brushed my teeth and hair and changed into my jeans and t-shirt. I made the bed for him and padded down the hall to the kitchen. Edward had eggs and bacon cooking with a towel thrown over his bare shoulder. He came over and kissed me when he saw me enter the kitchen.

"Hi. Hope you like eggs and bacon. It was either this or some Lucky Charms." He motioned to the box of cereal on the table.

"I'm fine with the eggs, but next time it will be all about the Lucky Charms." Edward put a plate of food in my hand, picked his up and steered us to the dining room table. I took a bite of my food and hummed in agreement.

"Yum. You can cook, too." I smirked

"I am a man of many talents Ms Swan and if you are lucky, you can experience them. What do you want to do today?"

I popped a piece of bacon in my mouth, "same thing I do every day Pinky, devise a plan to take over the world." He started laughing so hard he almost choked on his eggs, so he got up to get a drink. The look on his face was pure amusement.

"Coffee, Brain?" I nodded my head, so he poured me a mug and put it on the table for me. "Sugar? Milk? Foo foo? I have Hazelnut…" His voice trailed off.

"Oohhh Hazelnut thanks." He handed it to me and sat back down at the table.

"In answer to your question, other than grocery shopping, there is nothing too important on my agenda today. What about you?"

"Well Kate was running late to pick up Emily yesterday so I still have a ton of stuff to do." I took his not so subtle hint and ate faster.

Edward and I finished breakfast in silence. We cleaned the kitchen together and I decided it was time for me to leave. I fished my shoes out from under his bed, packed up my stuff and worked my way back into the living room.

"Edward, I think I'm going to get going." I sat down and put my shoes on. He came out of the kitchen and sat on the couch.

"If that's what you want. Let me throw on a shirt and I'll walk you to your car." He wandered down the hall and returned in a Foo Fighters tee. He offered me his hand and helped me off the couch.

"Did you pack your stuff back up?"

"Yep, I'm ready." I put my bag on my shoulder and headed to the front door. Edward grabbed my elbow and moved me towards the kitchen.

"If you're going to be a constant visitor, and I hope you are…you should know rule number one." He looked hopeful with that statement. He opened the door between the kitchen and the garage, hitting the button to raise the garage door. "We go in and out through the garage. I have this door raised almost all the time when I am home. "

"Why?"

"Because I grew up in this neighborhood and a lot of my friends still live here. If the door is up, it is an invitation to stop in, have a beer and a chat." He explained.

We walked out to my car. "I will remember that the next time I am here." I unlocked the car and Edward opened the door for me. He gave me a kiss good bye and helped me into my car.

"I'll give you a call during the week." He gave me one more kiss and shut my door.

I drove home on cloud nine.

**A/N: Love It? Hate It? Please Review **


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: Thanks to each and every one of you that has put this story on alert**

**Erin, Grace and Linds- you keep me trucking along.**

**Title Song on my Tumblr**

**SM owns Twilight, I own this advernture**

**Ch 20-You Know I'm No Good-Amy Winehouse**

I called Alice as soon as I got home from Edward's that morning to tell her how it went. She was out, so I left her a message. I spent the remainder of the day getting things together for work and catching up on email and horrible TV that I had saved on my DVR.

The 'Edward Pattern' emerged that week. The first two weeks we spoke on the phone about three days during the week and spent the night together on Saturdays. By week three, Saturday nights started earlier, right after Emily was picked up and ended mid afternoon on Sundays.

By week four, I had given him a key and we were spending the night together on Sunday as well as using pet names for each other. This way, if Edward spent the night at my house he could to lock up behind him when he left for work at three in the morning as there was NO way in hell I was walking him out at that time. His garage door opener allowed me to leave from his house and be able to lock up behind me. At week six I experienced my first epiphany/freak out.

It was the Friday after Thanksgiving and Emily was in Colorado visiting Kate's family, so Edward and I actually had an entire weekend together. We were on his couch watching movies. He had his feet up on the coffee table and I was snuggled into his side running my hands over his abdomen and feeling his muscles tense with each pass. He had his hands streaming through my hair and I felt content. Then my mind started to wander into the future and knowing I could feel this way for a long time with Edward. This jolted me to an upright position on the other end of the couch, and causing Edward's brow to wrinkle.

"What's the matter, Baby?" He looked concerned. I took a deep breath.

"Nothing, I just didn't feel well all of a sudden." He reached over and put the back of his hand on my forehead.

"You don't feel warm. Would you like some water?" He got up and traipsed into the kitchen and returned with a glass of water for me.

"Thanks." I smiled. "I'm ok, just a weird feeling for a minute. Maybe I should go." I got up and started to hunt for my shoes. I really needed to distance myself all of a sudden.

"Hey, are you really alright? Maybe we should cancel the BBQ tomorrow..." I interrupted him.

"I'm fine, Promise. We will not be cancelling the FIRST After-Thanksgiving Saturday BBQ, thank you. Emmett would kill me. He has been looking forward to ribs since we decided to do this. I think I just need to go home and sleep." I put my shoes on, grabbed my purse and jacket and headed to the door.

"Let me at least help you to your car, old lady." Edward smiled and grabbed my hand. I was glad he wasn't taking my quick escape personally.

"Thanks. Give me a call when you are headed over tomorrow, ok?" I gave him a kiss and climbed into my car.

I drove home in a fog, trying to pinpoint why I felt so troubled. I called Alice as soon as I was in my front door.

"Hi B. Bored with movie night already?" She asked.

"No. Something came up, got a minute?"

"How could something have come up on the FIRST Friday you two have spent together? I thought this was a happy night, so why do you sound so sad?" I loved how Alice could feel my moods through my voice.

"Can you come over early tomorrow to talk before we set up for the BBQ?"

"Of course I can. Did you want to talk about anything now?" While this sounded tempting, I knew I really needed to process everything before I could talk about it.

"No I would rather sleep and get my thoughts together. Be here about ten-ish, ok. I will be ready to talk then." I hung up with Alice and turned my phone off. I really needed to figure out why I freaked out.

I slept fitfully that night and was happy to greet Alice the next morning.

"I brought Rose as reinforcement. I thought you could use a little girl time before the BBQ. "She handed Rose her stuff and pulled me in for a hug.

"Thanks. Let's go put this stuff away and then I will explain what happened." We went into the kitchen and put the food into the fridge that they brought over. Then we sat in the living room while I gathered my bearings.

"So, Edward and I were hanging out on his couch watching movies last night when I had an epiphany. " I glanced at my girls, and they looked confused. "I was laying there with him and I could see us like that in the future. I was just so comfortable being with him. It made me nervous."

"Why did it make you nervous?" Alice asked.

"I'm not sure. Maybe because I haven't felt this way before?" I muttered.

"How does he make you feel Bella?" Rose asked.

"Happy . I get butterflies when I see his name on my cell screen and each time I get a text from him. It is getting hard to sleep without him and we only spend two nights together a week. I'm afraid of feeling this way."

Rose and Alice smiled at each other.

"Bella, he is Magnetic North and you are his compass."Alice giggled.

I looked at her in confusion. "Huh? Don't speak science to me Ali; you know I don't get it."

"He is the peanut butter to your jelly, Bella" Rose said and grinned at me.

"What? Why are you two talking in riddles?" I was really confused.

"You love him, Bella. " Alice said.

"How is that possible? I have only known him for a short time. I'm not ready to be in love with him." I knew I was fighting a losing battle with myself by now.

"It's alright Bella. You don't have to tell him if you aren't ready to deal with it, yet. I can tell you that you look at him the way I look at Emmett, and Alice looks at Jasper." Rose explained.

"Really?" I squeaked out.

"Yes really and he looks at you the same way." Alice interjected. I pondered this for a minute, and then I smiled.

"Freakout over, thanks girls, again. I'm not ready to tell him yet though. I need to get used to the idea first. "I stood up and headed to the kitchen.

"Are you girls going to help me get the food ready or not?" I demanded. "The boys will be here soon." I turned on the radio and chose my DANCE MIX playlist and the three of us got our groove on as we started making the side dishes.

Alice, Rose and I worked on making the side dishes in the fridge as well as marinating some of the meat. The guys were expected with their contributions any minute now. When Edward called to let me know he was on the way, I asked him to pick up some beer. Emmett was bringing the ribs he insisted on having and Jasper was in charge of chips.

I was feeling much better after talking to the girls. I knew I had been feeling something strong for Edward but I didn't think it was love.

I had the music blaring and it was pumping us up for a good afternoon. I kept turning it up and dancing around the house. I was coming out of my bedroom when Ricky Martin's "Shake Your Bon-Bon" came on so I decided to salsa my way into the kitchen shaking my ass the whole time. My intention was to grab Alice and twirl her about ending in a dip, so I didn't expect the two strong hands that grabbed my waist. I screeched in surprise to see Edward behind me.

"I thought you had better taste in music, baby." He smirked.

"Do you NOT like me shaking my bon bon? Is that what you're telling me?" I laughed and shook my ass. "I have NOT covered up my love for a good beat. It's not my fault you can't appreciate it." I stuck my tongue out at him and reached over for the remote to turn the music down. He lowered his mouth to my ear and nibbled on my lobe, tightening his grip on my waist.

"I appreciate the ass shaking, trust me." He whispered as he held me close. "Are you feeling alright? You took off kind of sudden last night, and you didn't pick up your phone until this morning."

"Oh, I turned my phone off to charge once I got home. Yeah, I'm feeling ok." I decided a subject change was needed. "What kind of beer did you bring?" I smiled, so he could see I was really alright.

"For you, Stella, for the rest, Michelob." I grabbed the beer from him and put it in the fridge. He gave me a once over, but seemed satisfied with what he saw.

"What can I help with?" He looked around, but we had everything under control in the kitchen.

"You can help Emmett with the ribs and then get the fire going, if you don't mind."

"Not a bit," He smacked me on my ass and ventured out to the back yard to help Emmett unload the ribs. Jasper had the grill out and was cleaning it off. Emmett came in to grab beers for the guys and put on his apron. I have never seen him grill without one on.

"Hey Rose, does Emmett need a new apron for Christmas? I'm trying to get some ideas." I looked over to see Rose laughing at Emmett as he wiggled his ass at her through the sliding glass door. She turned her head to me. I could see Edward and Jasper talking by the grill in the background and it gave me a warm fuzzy feeling. It looked as if they were arguing over who was going to get to light the grill.

"He can always use a new one if that is the direction you want to go. He needs new grilling tools too. If you want to make it a theme gift or something along those lines" Rose answered and grabbed a beer out of the fridge. "Anyone else?" She wiggled the bottle towards me and Alice. We both nodded so she handed us each a beer.

I twisted the cap off and tried to scope Edward out without getting caught, as we were working in the kitchen, but he noticed me and grinned. The next time he caught my eyes, he made kissy faces through the glass, causing me to laugh and almost drop the plates in my hand.

"He totally caught you ogling him, B" Alice laughed.

"I can't help it. He's too darn cute for his own good. And he has a nice caboose." I turned to look back at him over my shoulder. "His daughter is just as cute, too judging by the pictures I have seen."

"Any idea when you might meet her?" Alice asked.

"I haven't brought it up yet, and neither has he. He and I have only been together for six weeks. I'm not sure if we're ready for that, didn't you notice my freak out last night?"

"Maybe you should mention it, when you are ready B. See how it goes over?" Alice said.

The girls and I wrapped up the table setting with nothing fancy and went out back to hang out with the boys just in time to hear Emmett explaining some of his secret marinade for the ribs. I laughed because I knew the secret. It was my mom's recipe. He gave me the evil eye before I could tell everyone what was in it, and clamped his hand over my mouth.

"Let me have my moment, B." Emmett grinned, but I was nice enough to not say anything else about it.

Once the meat was done, we carried everything in and sat down to eat. It was a loud meal perforated with conversations all over the place. It was interesting to see how the boys acted with each other. You could tell they had known each other for a long time, they acted like brothers. It was nice how well we all got along like real family and it made me feel more secure in my relationship with Edward.

I sighed and relaxed into my chair and I saw Alice wink at me. I noticed Rose checking me out too. I mouthed "I'm fine" to them and raised my eyebrows, so they wouldn't draw attention to anything. The last thing I wanted to do tonight was tell Edward my revelation about how I felt. I needed to process it on my own first. I had never really loved someone before and it changed everything.

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	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: Thanks to Grace, Erin and Linds**

**Chapter Song on my Tumblr**

**90% of this story is based on my RL, curious? Just ask**

**Ch 21-Just Like Heaven**

The week after Thanksgiving, I accidentally met Edwards's parents, Carlisle and Esme. I say accidentally as they were at his house when I pulled up. Had I known this, I would have dressed better than yoga pants and a hoodie. Oh well, hindsight and all that. I found out that they lived two blocks from Edward in the house he had grown up in and had seen my car on more than one occasion. They were pleasant and seemed to be eager to meet me. They seemed to have planned this ambush without telling Edward. He didn't seem to mind introducing me though, so I guess it worked out ok. Edward told me that even though they lived so close, he didn't really see them unless he is dropping off Emily to spend time with them.

I dropped hints to him about meeting Emily, just to see where he stood on the situation. Truth be told, I knew I wasn't ready to meet her, but she was his life and it was something I needed to do. The one time I brought it up as a serious discussion, I was shot down because Kate wasn't comfortable with it yet. It did make sense as he and I had only been together for a few months.

Edward would be meeting my parents around Christmas, because they decided to take a cruise to Mexico for the holidays and were leaving from San Diego. They would be here for one night so we would all go to a family dinner together. I was a little bit nervous about this because most of my boyfriends had been while I was away at college and I never felt the need to invite them home.

The first Saturday in December found me Christmas shopping. I had my list in hand and was ready to go. After much debate and many phone conversations with Rose and Alice, I had finally decided on what to get Edward for Christmas. Shopping in San Diego in December was fabulous. The day was a balmy 60 degrees and I wasn't missing the cold dreary Washington weather at all. I went from shop to shop pricing various items but stuck to my list and went home with my shopping complete.

I hid everything in my computer room closet, since I knew Emmett would try and sneak looks. We all had plans to celebrate Christmas day with our significant others, so our gift exchange would be after that. I had picked up some small stuff for Edward's daughter too. Even though she and I hadn't met yet, it was inevitable and I thought it would be taken as a nice gesture. I would give those to Edward early as he had Emily on Christmas Eve, into the morning and then jetting to my house in the afternoon.

The week before Christmas, when Edward was over, I pulled out the gifts I had gotten for Emily and handed them to him.

"You didn't have to do this." He said in surprise.

"I know. I wanted to. "I said shyly. "It's nothing big, just some pink monkey pajamas and a Barbie doll." I looked down at my feet rethinking this whole idea. Edward cupped my chin to force me to look at him. He was smiling.

"This is why I love you, baby. " I gasped at him.

"You love me? Really?"

"Of course I do, Bella. I spend as much free time with you as I possibly can. On top of that, this is so generous of you and I really appreciate that you accept Emily." He kissed me.

"In case you were wondering, I love you too." I kissed him back.

"I'm sorry that Kate is being a buzz kill about you meeting Emily, though."

"It's ok, Edward. I guess I can understand. We haven't been together that long yet and I know you and she were together for a long time." I glanced at him. He rarely spoke about his relationship with Kate and I had been hesitant to ask, but maybe now was the right time. "Can you tell me more about you and her?"

"Are you sure you want to hear any of this, baby?" He asked with trepidation. "It won't be the easiest thing to hear."

I looked right in his eyes, "Yes, I would like to know some of the story, please. "

"Alright" He smiled and proceeded to tell me how he and Kate had met when he was 19 and she was 18 at a party on the beach. "We had been surfing all day and she was new to town and came with a few of my friends. She was really different than the usual California surfer girl. I found out later that was because she was from Colorado and never surfed. Still hasn't, I don't think." He stroked his chin in thought.

He looked over at me, "Are you still ok with this? "" I nodded my head, but I wasn't sure I wanted to hear any more about this. "Anyway, we dated, got married, started fighting really bad, she got pregnant and I tried to stick it out. I wanted to be there for my child. That's it, no crazy soap opera twist at the end."

"You guys were together for a long time. Do you miss her?" I couldn't look at him when I asked this.

"Hey, look at me. " I raised my eyes and looked at him "The marriage was over before she even got pregnant. Sometimes I think she got pregnant on purpose. I wouldn't change any of the events that brought me Emily, though." He stroked my hair and kissed my forehead. "Besides Bella, I love YOU and that is all that matters right now."

"Thanks baby, for telling me about Kate. I know you probably didn't want to but I have a better understanding now. "I grabbed his hand," Now let's go to bed, I won't see you for a few days."

Edward left early the next morning as he had to get to work. I walked him out this time because I knew he would be unavailable until the day before Christmas Eve when we all did dinner together. Then I would only see him Christmas day for the afternoon as he was headed north to snowboard for the next few days after that.

**A/N: Love it? Hate it? Please Review**


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N:Thanks Linds, Erin and Grace for telling me how it is. Thank YOU each reader, I LOVE when I get the alert for a review, or Fave story, it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside TRULY**

**Chapter Song on my Tumblr- **

**Ch 22-Breaking the Girl**

My parents arrived two days before Christmas and were staying the night with my aunt and uncle. We were doing the big family dinner at Ruths Chris Steakhouse and we were all at the table waiting for Edward to arrive. There was a ton of overlapping conversations going on, and I hadn't noticed the time until my mom spoke up.

"Bella, I know you want us to be polite and all, but your young man is late, can we at least order our appetizers?" Mom asked. Her comment caused me to look at my watch.

"I didn't realize how late it was, sorry mom. Of course, go ahead and order and I'll call him and find out what the holdup is. Be right back, "I reached for my purse to grab my phone and noticed four missed calls all from Edward. Alice noticed the look on my face and came over to me.

"Is everything ok?" She asked.

"I'm not sure. I had my phone on vibrate in my purse and I now have four missed calls from Edward but no voicemails. I need to find a quiet spot and call him back." As I was getting up from the table, Jasper walked over to hand me his phone. "Edward", he mouthed to me.

"Hey- sorry, but I had my phone in my purse and I didn't hear it. Where are you? Are you ok?" I rushed out, as I was walking to the lobby.

"I'm still at home. Something came up with Kate and she couldn't pick Emily up until after nine, so I told her I would keep her overnight. "

"Are you kidding me, Edward? Couldn't your parents take her overnight?" I was pissed. This would be the only time in who knows how long for Edward to be able to meet my parents.

"They aren't home, I already called them. I'm sorry baby. I wanted to be there..." I interrupted him.

"Look, I can't talk about this right now. My ENTIRE family is sitting at dinner waiting to order food because of you. I need to go." I hung up on him and walked back in to the dining area.

"Umm...let's go ahead and order, Edward isn't able to make it after all." I said, than excused myself to the ladies room. Alice and Rose were hot on my heels.

"What the HELL? What do you mean he can't make it?" Alice asked. I looked at her with tears in my eyes.

"I don't know Alice. He said Kate was running late and he has Emily overnight now. I realize that his kid will always be number one, but I really wanted him to meet mom and dad..." I started crying and Rose pulled me in for a hug. "It shouldn't be this much of a fucking hassle…"

"Just calm down, Bella. There's nothing you can do about this right now. Wipe your face and let's enjoy our family dinner." Rose walked me over to the sinks.

"I'm sorry I'm breaking down right now, but I'm disappointed about this whole thing" I said sadly. I grabbed a paper towel, wet it and wiped under my eyes.

"Oh well, "I shrugged as I wiped off the mascara that had run", this is as good as its getting for tonight. Let's go, I need a drink." I linked my arms with them and we went back to the table. My mom eyed me up and down, then mouthed "OK?" to me. I nodded my head but didn't make eye contact. My phone was on my chair when I went to sit down; Edward had left me a new text message.

_I'm sorry. I really wanted to be there. Is there any time before they fly back?_

I hesitated before replying to his text.

_NO_

I turned my phone off and put it in my purse. I refused to let this ruin the only evening that I had with my parents. The rest of the evening was uneventful. We ate, drank and had good conversation. I rode with my parents back to my aunts' house to tell them good bye and then I hitched a ride back home with Rose and Emmett. Mom hugged me for a long time.

"I love you Bella and I am sorry we didn't get the chance to meet Edward. I can tell he means a lot to you."

"Thanks mom, but I don't want to talk about this tonight. I love you too. Have a safe cruise and get me something good in Cabo!" I kissed her cheek and climbed into the back of Emmett's car. As soon as I shut the door, he spoke up.

"It will be ok, Bella." Emmett said. "I can tell how upset you are, but he DOES have a child and sometimes, things are going to happen."

"I know, but I will only see him for a few hours Christmas day and then he is snowboarding for a week. Plus I really wanted him to meet mom and dad. We all know the likelihood of me heading to visit them anytime soon is a mute point because I have no plans to visit them at all. I mean…I've met his parents, we've said the 'I love yous'; I just wanted tonight to go well…." I started to cry again. Rose reached her hand back to me.

"It's just….he means so much to me and this makes me feel as if I wasn't as important to him." I sniffed. "I have never introduced mom and dad to anyone I dated before. That's how much this night meant to me." I caught myself mid sob and took a deep breath. "I made a point of letting Edward know how important this was to me. I know things will happen, but I feel as if it was more important to me than to him."

"You can't think that just because something came up, Bella. You guys will talk it out on Christmas and everything will be fine. "Rose patted my hand.

"I hope you're right Rose. I need to not talk to him until Christmas though because right now, I'm really hurt and I don't want to say anything to jeopardize this any more than I already have."

Emmett looked over his shoulder at me, "What do you mean, more than you have?"

"I wasn't very nice to him on the phone when he called and I capped the word 'NO' to him via text before shutting my phone off. Not very nice behavior, right?"

"He knows this was a big thing, B. You guys will talk it out and it will be ok. Besides women have mood swings, he can chalk it up to that." Emmett laughed so I knew he wasn't being serious.

We pulled up in front of my house and I climbed out of the car. Rose grabbed my hand on my way out and offered to stay with me, but I said no. She got out to give me a hug.

"It will all work itself out." She said as she gave me a hug.

As I walked into bedroom and got into bed, I had one thought on my mind: I hope she's right.

**A/N: Love It? Hate It? Please review**


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N: JEEPERS some of you had some pretty strong opinions of Bella's behavior in the last chapter. **

**While I can appreciate and respect your opinions, (even those of you a little on the nasty side via PM) please keep this in mind: when someone does NOT have a child, it is hard to put yourself in a parents shoes and understand the commitment needed. Now- read on so I can show you what this Bella is made of**

**Tx-Erin,Linds,Grace**

**Chapter title song on my Tumblr**

**Chapter 23-Into Your Arms**

I woke up at six the next morning. I knew that trying to sleep would be a useless effort, so I stumbled out to the kitchen for some water and plopped myself on the couch. I wrapped a blanket around me and snuggled into the cushions with the remote in my hand. I knew the only thing that would help me sleep at this point was either a conversation with Edward or an infomercial. Realizing that Edward was most likely sleeping, I turned the TV on. I glanced over at my phone that was sitting on the end table, reached for it and turned it on. My phone buzzed when the telltale text alert popped up and I opened the text that I knew was from Edward.

_I'm sorry baby. It meant a lot to me too. PLEASE call me when you get up, doesn't matter the time. ILY_

I sighed and got up to make coffee. I was definitely awake now. Once it was brewed and I had my economy size mug in my hand, I dialed Edward's number. I figured he wouldn't answer it but at least I was making the effort. I was pleasantly surprised when his voice came over the phone.

"Hi…did I wake you?" I asked quietly.

"It's ok Baby. I really wanted to talk to you." He yawned. "How long have you been up?"

"A few minutes, I couldn't sleep. I want to apologize about my childish behavior last night." I said.

"YOU want to apologize? That's interesting, why?" He sounded perplexed.

"I feel like I should apologize for making you feel guilty about choosing your daughter over me. I know she is more important than anything to you. .." He interrupted me.

"You are important to me too, baby. I was really pissed at Kate. She knew last night was important to me and she couldn't even bother picking up Emily. She has been fudging the lines when it comes to our set schedule. When I get back from the snowboard trip it will be dealt with. I don't want you to ever think that you are not important to me. "

"Thanks. I was really disappointed though. I wanted you to meet my parents and I have no clue when I will ever be in the same town with them again." I took another drink of coffee; it was helping me feel more awake.

"Well, I thought about that a little bit. When they get back from Mexico, do they go straight to the airport, or will they have time to do a lunch or something?"

"Why?" I was curious.

"I thought I would cut my trip short by two days so I can at least meet them even if it is over a happy meal at McDonalds, baby. They're your parents, and it is important to you so it's important to me. "

"Don't worry about it, baby. They get back and have to go directly to the airport. I appreciate you considering cutting your vacation short, though." I was sure he could hear the smile in my voice.

"Well, on to other things, then. Emily is hanging with my parents' tomorrow morning, and Kate is picking her up from there, so we have more time to spend with each other before I leave for Mammoth in the afternoon. I was thinking I could be over by nine tomorrow morning."

"Hmmm…well Merry Christmas to ME!" I laughed. "Sure, babe. Come on over whenever you want. "

"Emily is up, so I've gotta go. I'll see you in the morning, baby. I love you." He hung up the phone and I felt a lot better.

I spent the rest of the day wrapping Edwards few gifts so they would be ready for him in the morning. I also did my laundry, changed my sheets and cleaned up a little bit. I was exhausted from my sleepless night, so I was in bed early with a book.

Feather light kisses woke me up causing me to jerk up and fall out of my bed. Edward was doubled over in laughter at my expression and sudden fall. What a freaked me out so much, I had to run and pee. Once I returned from the bathroom freshly scrubbed, I climbed back into bed as Edward was laying in it.

"Morning Baby. Sorry I scared you." He laughed obviously not sorry at all.

"No you're not, big meanie. " I glanced at my watch."You're earlier than I expected. What time did Emily wake up?"

"Like five. Don't you remember being a kid on Christmas?" He yawned. "I'm tired, let's sleep for a little bit longer."

"Nope. I'm awake now, and you must entertain me." I smacked his shoulder.

"Baby, I'm tired…" He whined. "Plus Kate showed up and created all this tension at my parents' house, so I need some time to relax." His statement stopped me in my tracks.

"Wait….I thought YOU were supposed to spend Christmas Eve and Christmas morning with Emily at your parent's? What was Kate doing there?" This news irritated me, so I climbed back out of the bed and grabbed some yoga pants out of my drawer, yanking them on in anger. I needed some distance from him.

"Some crap about not making things harder on Emily than they need to be. She pulled this on her birthday too." He rubbed his hands over his face.

"I'm going to get something to eat. Are you hungry?" I asked as I distanced myself from him.

"Hey, Bella…" He shouted after me, but I was already in the kitchen making coffee. I wasn't sure how to take this development. I was slamming coffee mugs on the counter when he put his arms around my waist and nuzzled my neck.

"Baby, I didn't invite her to my parents house, they did. Kate called them crying about how difficult this was on Emily and asked if she could be there when she opened the presents. My parents said yes because they would do ANYTHING for their granddaughter. It was beyond uncomfortable for me. I escaped as soon as Emily opened up her gifts from me." He explained. "Trust me; the only woman I want to be around is you." He kissed up and down my neck.

"This whole parent thing is new to me, Edward. I am a jealous person by nature and when I find out your ex just shows up uninvited it pisses me off." I handed him a coffee mug. "Now I only have you until two so no more about this right now, ok. We can deal with it when you get home. "

"So, NOW can we go back to bed and sleep? Then other things are in order since I will be gone for a week." He smirked over his mug, took my hand and led me back to me bedroom.

He left a very satisfied girlfriend behind at two.

**A/N: Love it Hate it? Please review… **


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N: Thanks to each and every reader. I am sorry that FF was fail so I couldn't respond to reviews.**

**Thanks to Cathie,Erin and Linds for keeping me on track.**

**Chapter title song on my Tumblr**

**Ch 24 Everlong**

Edward proved to be an attentive boyfriend while on vacation with his friends. He called me when they arrived in Mammoth to let me know they made is safely. He called every morning while on the way to the lifts, every afternoon when they were done for the day and every evening he would call to tell me good night and that he loved me. It was nice to be treated so well, and it seemed as if he really did miss me.

While he was gone, I took out the leather jacket and helmet he had gotten me for Christmas and would think about how perfect he was for me. No guy I had ever dated would think to buy me something like this. It made me smile because it meant he wanted me on the back of his bike with him. Since I knew how much his bike meant to him, I could only assume how much I meant to him as well.

I spent the time that Edward was gone hanging out with my girls. I loved spending time with them. Even though we are so different in many ways, we are also very alike. We always have a great time together.

I also spent some time reorganizing my house. I put a little more 'homey' touches into my computer room by reorganizing my books and my CD collection. I also moved some of my lesser worn stuff into the closet in there and moved stuff opening up a drawer. This way Edward had a place for some of his stuff since we were together nightly.

Edward was set to return in the morning on New Year's Eve, and we had no plans to do anything but each other until New Years Day. I spent the day before he came home at the spa for a mani/pedi. I also got my hair trimmed any my highlights redone. I decided to go darker with my hair and more violet toned with my highlights.

At noon on December 31st, Edward got dropped off at my house complete with snowboard and gear. I opened up the garage so he could put his stuff in there. He rushed to hug me as soon as I came outside.

"I missed you baby." He kissed the top of my head as he spun me around.

"I missed you too." I looked at all of his stuff. "You DO realize that this stuff won't fit in Sally unless she is topless, right?"

"Speaking of topless" ,He smirked at me, pushed me in the house, shut the garage door and removed my shirt all at the same time. "Black lace, my favorite" He said as he started sucking my nipples through my bra.

Once we made it into the living room, I pushed him onto the couch. "Sit baby and take off your pants."

"Why Bella, what did you have in mind?" He cocked an eyebrow at me.

"I was going to suck you off, but if you're going to be mouthy, I don't have to." I scolded him, helping him out of his pants. Soon enough he was only in his tee shirt on my couch. I looked at his erect cock and smiled. Reaching out for it with a light hand, I stroked the front vein of his dick very lightly, causing it to twitch and him to moan.

"Whatcha doing baby?" He asked just as the top of my tongue touched the head of his dick.

"Oh shit….keep going…baby…" He stuttered out. I kept at the head with my tongue alternating between light and heavy pressure, just the way I knew he liked it. I took his left hand and put it at the back of my head, letting him help to guide me, just as I put the head of his dick into my mouth and sucked.

His fingers tangled into my hair and started moving my head forward, helping me with my rhythm. I moaned around his cock, sliding it further into my mouth. Edward moaned louder and placed his left hand on my shoulder, pushing me back.

"Baby, you need to stop. I haven't seen you in a week and I want to come inside you, not your mouth. "He pushed me off him, and pulled me up. He unbuttoned my pants and slid them down my legs, giving him a nice view of my black lace thong. He ran his hand over the front of them before he pushed them to the side, caressing my folds, while watching my face for my reaction. He moved them down my legs so I could kick them off, and then pulled me down onto him so I was sitting with his dick behind me.

"I want to be in you baby, are you ready for me?" He stroked me some more as he removed my bra. After throwing it over to the side, he feasted on my tits like he hadn't eaten in years. It was intense feeling and I started to grind on his lap.

"Yeah baby, you're ready." He grabbed his dick as I lifted up and slid down onto it. We both moaned at the contact and I set a steady pace. He bent his head forward and sucked my breasts again. I rode him harder, causing him to lean his head against the back of the couch. I could feel him hardening even more so I knew he was close, I reached my hand down to rub my clit, so I could come with him. We both screamed through our orgasms.

I removed myself from Edward and collapsed onto the floor to catch my breath. He was sitting on the couch with his arm thrown over his eyes, trying to regulate his breathing. I giggled and looked over at him.

"If I smoked, I would light up right now, baby. That was intense." He laughed with me as he reached over and pulled his boxers on, but he pulled his shirt off and tossed it at me. "Here, you can wear this."

I put the shirt on and padded my way into the kitchen. "Are you hungry?" I yelled out over my shoulder.

"Not right now, thanks though." Want to watch a movie or something? I really have no intentions of doing anything the rest of the day except hang with you."

"Well, then you have complete control over the remote." I grabbed two beers out of the fridge and joined Edward on the couch.

"I cleared you out a drawer while you were gone, "I said shyly. Edward choked a little on his beer, so I decided to backtrack. "You don't HAVE to keep anything here; I just thought it would be easier for you." I had trouble making eye contact with him.

He put his hand on my chin and lifted my face up to see his eye. "Thanks. " He smiled, "I cleared you out space before I left. " He leaned in and kissed me.

We spent the rest of the day and night, cuddled on the couch and making love. At midnight, we raised our beers and toasted each other. It was a VERY nice way to ring in the New Year.

**A/N: Love it? Hate it? Please Review**


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N: Thanks so much for all the reviews and traffic this story is bringing. Thanks to Cathie, Erin and Linds for keeping it rolling.**

**This story is based on my real life. Curious as to what is true? PM me and I will respond (when FF lets me)**

**Chapter title song on my Tumblr**

**Paraphrasing from the FANTASTIC Steve Martin/Rick Moranis movie, "My Blue Heaven"**

'**Into each life a little rain must fall….**

**Ch 25-Walk Away**

The Vortex of Edward, as I dubbed it, seemed to suck the time right along. The weeks between New Years Eve and the first week of February flew by. Edward and I spent all of our free time together at one of our houses, settling in to a pretty set routine that was close to a living together situation. He and I hadn't had any more big road bumps but he was still having problems with Kate.

I had brought up meeting Emily again, but Edward kept stalling and telling me that Kate still wasn't comfortable with it. I tried not to let it bother me, but it was hard to not feel as if he didn't want me to meet her. He insisted that wasn't the issue and that he had told Emily about me.

Every other week 'something' would come up in Kate's life causing Edward's time with his daughter to expand from Friday afternoons to late Sunday afternoons. This was frustrating on several levels, especially to Edward. His work schedule didn't allow us a lot of time together on weeknights and our time was now shortened due to Kate. He would talk to Kate about the inconsistencies letting her know how bad it was for Emily, and things would run smooth for a short amount of time, until she did it again.

The first week of February, Edward and I were hanging out at his house, when he broached the topic of Valentine's Day. "Did you want to do a nice night out, baby? Make some reservations?" I scrunched my nose up at his suggestion.

"Yuck. I hate Valentine's Day. I don't feel there should be a specific day to show someone how you feel." I made gagging noises, and he laughed.

"Good, I never understood it either. If I didn't love you, I wouldn't keep you around." He nudged my shoulder.

"I don't need a grand gesture to get that you like me, so no roses because I hate them, no jewelry as I don't really wear any and no dinner, unless you want me to cook us a nice meal?" I leaned over and kissed him on his chin. "Of course, a bouquet of daisies for no reason will always be appreciated, just not on Valentine's Day, because society expects you to do it."

"Dinner sounds nice. I'll let you cook me my favorite. How about some burgundy beef and crab cakes? Ooh and a nice wine." He asked looking like a kid in the candy store.

"Sure, baby. I can do that if it's what you want. I'll get all the ingredients together this weekend." I smiled.

Three days later, I was glad we had talked about our feelings for Valentine's Day, and there were no dinner reservations, as Kate decided she couldn't possibly keep her child on Valentine's Day, due to important plans that couldn't be broken, even though it was her day and not Edwards. When he called me about this latest situation, I blew.

"Are you kidding me, Edward? She YET again has a scheduling issue with her child? Can't she get a babysitter instead of expecting you to be available?" I could hear the anger in my voice, but I couldn't control my emotions anymore. I was done with Kate ruining our plans.

"It's not like we had anything planned, Bella. I'm not sure why you're so mad." He said calmly.

"Really? NO plans? What about the fucking dinner I planned to cook for you? Oh wait, that's right, it wasn't a 'real' plan, was it?" I fumed. "Hell, I'm sure I can return all the special groceries I bought. Or even better, make YOUR burgundy beef for Emmett. He would LOVE it!" I yelled.

"Christ, Bella! What do you want me to do?" His yelling made me eerily calm and I took a deep breath.

"What do I want you to do?" I asked, " I want you to address the fact that ever since you mentioned to your ex wife that you were dating someone, her behavior has become ridiculous, starting with her showing up on Christmas morning to spend it with you." I took a breath trying to hold back my tears. "I want you to REALIZE that she has constantly been late or unavailable to pick up her child on the days you spend with me. I want you to fucking NOTICE that she is dictating whether or not I even meet YOUR child after four months of us dating and with no regard to how you feel about it, and I am sure, you haven't brought it up again because she isn't 'comfortable' yet." I spat the words at him, "and I want you to grasp that YOU are making this much harder on us than it needs to be." I was crying by now." By not acknowledging her behavior, you are letting her think its ok. And to be honest Edward, it is NOT ok with me. She has been manipulating you for MONTHS, and I wonder why that is?" I mused aloud through my tears, "Does she think there is a chance the two of you will reconnect?"

"God NO, Baby, I don't want to be with her!" He shouted. "I have told you that I love you. I don't know what else I can do to prove this to you!" He yelled again. I was crying harder and I needed to end this call.

"When you get it together, call me." I whispered and hung up the phone. I collapsed onto the floor against my couch and sobbed. I knew I couldn't speak to anyone, so I texted Alice.

_Need you NOW_

I turned my phone off and curled up in a ball to cry.

**A/N: Thanks Dazzglo for the Vortex comment**

**Love it? Hate it? Please review.**


	27. Chapter 27

**A/N: Thanks to each and every review I get. FF is still sucking the life outta my replies and I apologize for that. Thanks Linds, Erin and Cathie.**

**Title song video is on my Tumblr**

**Ch 26-Black**

I'm not exactly sure how long it took for Alice to get to the house. I heard the front door open and then heard her calling my name. I couldn't even respond to her, I was so weakened by my emotions. I felt strong arms around me and started to fight them off, thinking they were Edward's. It took Alice hushing me and whispering in my ear for me to realize she had brought Emmett with her. I relaxed and let him pick me up and sit me on the couch, where Alice immediately wrapped a blanket around me. She rocked me back and forth allowing me the time I needed to gather myself together.

I heard Emmett return from the kitchen and he handed me a bottle of water. "Do you want to talk about it?" He asked.

"I can't talk about it right now." My voice was raspy from the sobbing, so I took a drink of water.

"B, what happened?" Alice asked as she stroked my hair.

"I can't handle dating a man that has a child, Ali." I took another shaky breath.

"What changed? I thought if you loved someone, you worked on things together?" Emmett asked.

"I DO love him, Em. I can't deal with his ex wife. She has done nothing but make things difficult and he isn't doing anything to stop it. So…I…" I shrugged, unable to say the words. "That's all I'm going to say right now, I just want to drink the day away."

Emmett got up and went back into the kitchen."Beer or wine?" He yelled out to me.

"Wine please. No glass needed." I snorted and looked at Alice. "Why did you bring Emmett?" I asked.

Alice shrugged, "I wasn't sure what kind of shape you were going to be in. I thought I might need him to pick you up and I was right." She hugged me tighter. "Do you want him to go? I can make him go." She said.

"It's fine. I plan on drinking and for a few days so I can forget any of this happened. He can stay if you want him to. Doesn't matter to me." I grabbed the bottle of wine from Emmett and took a very large swig out of the bottle.

"Do you want to bounce this fight off of me? I am the male psyche, you know." Emmett grinned.

"Not right now, Em. Really. Maybe in a few days after I get my bearings. Can you please let Rose know that I won't be in on Monday? "I took another drink from the bottle.

"B it's only Saturday morning. Do you really think you won't make it in?" Alice gave Emmett a concerned look.

"Alice, I plan to only leave this couch to get more wine for the next few days. That reminds me, Emmett how many bottles do I have in there?"

When he got up to check for me, Alice pounced. "B, you can NOT let a fight with Edward do this to you. We both know that sitting here drinking is not going to make it better. Now, I admit you shouldn't talk to him if you are really pissed off, but you do need to talk to him and clear the air." She scolded.

"Nope, I don't Ali. That is where you are wrong. I told him not to call me until he had his ex under control. She is the reason he missed dinner with my parents. She is the reason that he and I have barely seen each other since Christmas. She isn't sticking to the agreement that SHE signed and I am the one that is suffering from it." I took another swig out of the bottle, as Emmett returned to the living room.

"You currently have four bottles of wine, one bottle of vodka and a case of beer. If you plan to drown your sorrows, you have plenty. However..."Emmett trailed off and stopped as soon as he noticed the glare I was giving him. "Ok, so no talking and only drinking. I really don't want to be here for this." He kissed the top of my head, "Alice-call me if she stumbles and hurts herself. You- drink plenty of water and call me if you need me, doesn't matter what time." He gave me a hug and walked out the front door leaving me with Alice and my misery.

I pushed Alice to the other side of the couch."Are you going to drink with me?" I tried to hand her the wine bottle, but she waved it off.

"Sorry B, this is your pity party. I would like to know why you are drowning your sorrows away after one fight with your man, though. "

"It wasn't just a fight, Ali. I pretty much broke up with him." I took another swig and finished the bottle of wine. I put it on the table, contemplating getting another bottle, when Alice spoke up.

"I don't get it, B. You love this guy, he obviously loves you. There is an issue with his ex and you break up with him? YOU aren't even going to give him the chance to fix things?" She noticed my empty bottle, "Water this time, you can have more after you give me details." She went into the kitchen leaving me with my thoughts.

She handed me a water bottle and I took a drink. "The biggest issue to me is that he didn't even seem to notice that she was causing any tension. " I took another drink.

"Did you mention any of this when it has happened, or did you bottle it up and just go off, B?" Alice asked gently.

"This was the first time, but how could he NOT have noticed it? I don't want to date a man that will forever be connected to another woman. I'm not strong enough." I leaned my head back and promptly nodded off to sleep.

I woke up to Alice on her phone, probably with Jasper. She was in the kitchen so I didn't overhear much, but I did hear 'drunk', 'won't talk about it' and 'not sure'. I reached over to pick up my phone; it had been off for hours now. I turned it back on to several voicemail and text alerts. I deleted all the messages without listening and the texts without reading. I wasn't ready to join the world.

I convinced Alice to leave soon after and enjoyed the next day and a half of haze brought on by my alcohol.

By Thursday, Rose wouldn't let my pity party go on any longer. She greeted me with a stiff smile in my office that morning.

"Look, Bella. I get it. You're hurt, but please just talk to Edward. He is calling all of us just to make sure you are alright. "

"I'm not ready to talk to him. If I do, I might say something I'll regret…" I trailed off.

"Ah-HA!" She yelled. "You DO want to work things through with him, don't you?" She nailed it.

"Of course, I do, Rose. I just don't know where to begin. Ultimately I am angry with his ex being selfish and Edward not reining her in and I don't know how to handle that. I mean, why can't he be happy? Is she THAT miserable a person that she doesn't want her kid to meet me? The whole situation confuses me." I took a deep breath, and Rose came closer to throw her arm around my shoulders.

"It's ok to be confused, Bella. We all get that way no matter what the situation. However, you are an adult and by ignoring Edward, you aren't acting any better than his ex. If you love him the way you say you do, open the lines of communication. "She squeezed me then headed out the door.

"Oh- we are all taking you out to dinner tomorrow night. Nothing fancy, only Chili's, but we are ALL over the hermit stage. "

I sat at my desk and thought about what she said. She was right; I was acting like a child. I picked up my phone and dashed off a text to Edward.

_I'm just not ready to talk, yet. Afraid to say something I will regret. You can email if you want to…._

The reply was immediate.

_Thank fuck. Are you ok? _

_Somewhat_

_Will email you after work. I love YOU, Bella_

I decided not to respond to that and got to work. The rest of the day passed quietly and I was grateful for that. Right when I was ready to log off, an email from Edward came over. I hesitated before I opened it. Did I want to hear from him yet? Was I ready to deal with this? I clicked on the email. It was short and to the point.

Bella-

I am very sorry that Kate's actions have caused such a rift between us. I PROMISE you that I am working on it. I wish you had said something sooner, because I HATE that she has made you question me. I LOVE YOU….E

Friday after work, Rose hustled me to the closest Chili's. Emmett, Jasper and Alice were already at the bar. As we walked over to them, something caught the corner of my eye .There on the left hand side of the bar at a table were Edward, his parents, Emily and a woman whom I could only guess was Kate. I stopped short and tried to turn around, Rose caught me.

"What's the matter, Bella?" She looked over to what caught my attention and took in a breath.

"I can't do this, I need to go." I ran out of the restaurant with her running behind me, yelling at me to stop, but I couldn't. I got in my car and headed home wondering what to do. Why was Edward having dinner with his ex wife and his parents? He told me there was no way he would be back with her. I was more confused than ever once I got home. I noticed two missed calls when I took my phone out of my purse, one from Alice and the other from Edward. I chose to call Alice back, she picked up on the first ring.

"B, are you alright? What happened?" She rushed out.

"I'm home and I'm going to bed Ali. I can't deal with seeing him right now, especially with his fucking WIFE" I shouted.

"Bella, calm down. You obviously didn't see what we saw."

"Make it quick Alice. I really don't want to hear any excuses, which is why I didn't return his call."

"Did you notice there were four plates at the table, not five? Did you SEE the look of disgust on Edwards face as he glanced at Kate? Did you see the heartbreak written all over the place when you stormed out of there?" She took a deep breath.

"Bella I love you, but you can't let your stubbornness rule your emotions. You need to hear him out and you need to do it NOW."

"Ali…."but she had hung up on me. Not being able to feel any more low than I already did, I turned off my phone and crawled into bed. What did Scarlett O'Hare say? Tomorrow is a new day? I fell into a fitful sleep.

**A/N: Love it? Hate it? Review please**


	28. Chapter 28

**A/N: Thanks to all the people that are reading this. To those of you that review- thanks so much for caring enough about my characters to let me know. Linds, Erin and Cathie, you keep me on track. So a lot of unresolved will get settled this week.**

**Chapter title song on my Tumblr.**

**90% of this story is based on my real life. Some of you have asked as we go along, thanks for that!**

**Ch 27- Unwritten**

Yet another Saturday morning dawned and I felt lonely. I climbed out of bed to brush my teeth, but didn't feel like doing anything else, so I curled back up in bed and turned on the TV. I decided to laze about and contemplate where things stood.

How had I become so dependent on another human being? This last week physically hurt to not be around Edward. It was hard to read his texts and even harder to read the email he sent me. I guess deep down I was afraid he would end up back with Kate. Did I doubt him that much? Now that I had it figured out, I could talk to someone about it.

I picked up my phone and turned it on. There were 2 more missed calls from Edward but no voicemails. There was also a text from him, so I clicked it open.

_PLEASE call me, email me, smoke signals, something_

The smoke signal comment made me laugh.

I decided to wake Rose up as she is a little more level headed and not related, therefore she is more objective. I dialed the phone and a sleepy voice answered.

"Someone better be dead" she muffled.

"Hey- I need to talk, can we?" I asked.

"Bella? Of course, let me leave the bed so I don't wake up the ogre." I heard shuffling noises in the background as Rose left the room.

"Thanks. I know it's early, but I am done soul searching. It's time to talk." I launched into how I felt about Kate's actions and Edwards inactions. I let Rose know that I never mentioned it because I didn't feel it was my place to bitch about someone else's ex especially as they have a child together. I cried as I told her how much I missed him this past week and how much it hurt to see him eating dinner with Kate the night before.

Rose let me get it all out before she responded. "Let's back up a little bit ok. You didn't mention her actions because you felt it wasn't your place, right?"

"Yes."

"Why wasn't it your place? If HE pissed you off, wouldn't you let him know immediately?"

"Yes"

"So, her actions aren't warranted for you to mention because they have a child together? Am I getting this?"

"Yes, Rose. It sounds really silly when you put it that way." I got out of bed and headed to my kitchen for coffee.

"So we got through that one. Now I wish you had stayed three more minutes last night Bella. Because then you would have seen Edward yank Kate away from the table and out the door. You would have heard him telling her to 'go home' as it wasn't her night with Emily. You would have watched him turn his back on her and join his parents and his child for dinner."

"Really? I had no idea."

"Seriously Bella? No idea how much he loves you? He is over his whole relationship with Kate. There was so much drama at the end but you need to let him tell you all of this ok?"

"Thanks Rose. You have been a wealth of knowledge." I hung up the phone, topped off my coffee and sat down on my couch. Could I do it? Could I let him know it's time for us to talk? Maybe not, I thought as I faltered over the SEND button once I had his name on the screen. I decided to text him instead.

_We can talk tomorrow, ok?_

I put the phone on the table and got up to get dressed. I tossed some laundry in and took stock of my refrigerator and grimaced when I saw how much alcohol was gone. I had pretty much spent the past week in a drunken stupor. Nice, I thought. I grabbed my keys and headed out the door glad for the fresh air. Now that I had made a decision, there was lightness around me.

I spent the next two hours between the grocery store and Target picking up what I needed. I heard my text alert go off, but I was busy so I didn't pick it up. I would read it later.

Once I got home, I wasted no time unloading everything and putting it away. After I transferred my wash into the dryer, I opened my phone to see who had texted me. It was Edward, so I clicked on it.

_Thanks for letting me call you tomorrow. I can't wait to talk to you. I missed you this week. I love you_

I didn't respond but spent the rest of my day cleaning up as I didn't do much this week.

I woke up early the next morning, excited to begin again with Edward. I took my coffee out to my back patio and curled up out there with a blanket and my notebook. I wanted to write down my feelings so I could actually talk to Edward without getting too emotional. Once I had it all on paper, I felt better. I glanced at my watch and decided to take a shower and face my day, so I wouldn't miss hearing my phone ring when Edward called.

I was out of the shower, dressed and combing through my hair, when there was a knock on my door. I put my comb down and went to answer it. I didn't see anyone through my peephole, but it was covered in dirt anyway. I figured it was my neighbor as she brings me tomatoes from her garden.

I opened the door to find a little blonde girl standing there. She looked up at me with the biggest green eyes then back down at something in her hand. As she looked back up at me, she pointed to the item she had looked at.

"Hi. You're Bella, right? This is you with my dad in a picture. He gave this to me at Christmas. I'm Emily." And she stuck her hand out for me to shake.

To say I was shocked would be an understatement. I shook her hand and looked out at the driveway where Edward was standing at the car grinning at us. "Won't you come in, Emily and bring your dad too."

**A/N: See, Resolution is in the air. Love it, hate it? Please review**


	29. Chapter 29

**A/N: To everyone that is reviewing, FF is still cockblocking me, but I am trying to respond to any questions via the PM option. Thanks to Linds, Erin and Cathie**

**Chapter Song is on my Tumblr**

**This is 90% based on my life, thanks for coming along for the ride**

**Ch 28-(Absolutely) Story of a Girl**

Emily barreled past me into the house as Edward stopped at the door, looking shy.

"Hey" He said quietly.

"Hi" I leaned up and kissed his chin. He threw his arm around me and steered me into the house.

"Emily! Where are you?" He looked towards the kitchen but didn't see her. "Damn she's quick!" He headed down the hall to find her while I laughed at how surreal this was. Did he just let his kid LOOSE in my house? I could hear her giggling, and him calling her monkey, as he returned to the living room with her thrown over his shoulder.

"So, Emily and I are taking a trip to the zoo and we wanted to invite you along. This way you can hang out with her, enjoy the San Diego Zoo and we can talk. Is that ok?" He smiled as Emily started to pound on his butt.

"Put me down, Daddy!" She giggled. Edward turned her upright and placed her on the floor. "Bella, go put on some shoes. Emily would you like to grab a few water bottles for us?"

" Are you sure about this?" I asked as I headed to grab my sneakers and a sweatshirt out of my closet. Was I ready to do this? I thought as I headed down the hall, taking deep breaths the whole time.

"I'm ready for you two to meet and we really need to talk. We'll be on neutral territory this way.

Besides I specifically screwed Kate on her day for this to happen." He smirked. Emily came back in to the living room as I put on my sneakers.

"I have pink ones too," She said as she pointed to my chuck Taylors.

"I also have black, grey, red and purple." I told her. I grabbed my purse, phone and locked my house as Edward buckled Emily into the car. The ride to the zoo was interesting to say the least. Edward had Emily's favorite CD in she sang along the entire time. The best part was that instead of Disney songs, it was Foo Fighters.

"I see you're starting her music training early, "I smiled.

"You are NEVER too young for good music. She likes the Ramones and the Clash too. I even bought her a junior size guitar last week, but she isn't too interested yet, just holds it and strums it." We pulled into the parking lot for the zoo and got out. Edward was a Zoo member so it was free for all of us. I hadn't been there yet, so I let Emily choose where to go first.

"It's easy, Bella. We walk up through the tigers and bears to see the Polar bears, than we take the skyfari back down and stop in to see the snakes. Daddy said I could get one for my birthday." He laughed and agreed with her.

"Yes I did, however it WON'T be the rattlesnake you want, sorry kiddo." He ruffled her hair and I laughed.

"So, let's get to walking" I said, as Emily grabbed my hand and took off. "Slow down chicklette, you're going to knock me over." I laughed as Edward dashed to catch up to us. "Is she always like this?" I asked.

Edward nodded at me, "Yes, when she wants something."

"So Bella, "She said, "What is your favorite animal? Mine is the tiger."

"Mine is an elephant. Will we be able to see them today, or is that not part of your route?" I asked.

She pondered this for a minute," Daddy, where ARE the elephants?"

"If we don't take the Skyfari, we can go see the elephants." He grinned at our interaction. She yanked harder on my arm to show me the Panther. "Isn't he pretty with his black skin? " I nodded my head and pulled away a little to let other small people in front of me.

"Can I move closer to you?" I asked Edward, concerned for Emily's safety as she wouldn't have an adult right next to her.

"Yes, I can still see her, so it's fine." I walked over to where he was and he put his arm around my shoulder, pulling me in for a hug. "Sorry to spring her on you, I thought we could kill two birds with one stone." He kissed the top of my head. "I have really missed you." He said

"I missed you too. She seems very mature for her age. Not that I would know since I don't hang around kids."

"She is mature. We have never spoken to her as if she was a child, and we treat her like a mini adult, to a point." He glanced back over to her. "Emily, let's move to the next one." She nodded and moved on and we followed behind her.

"Once we sit to eat by the Polar Bears, you and I can talk. Emily will be climbing all over the statues there." He kissed my temple, leaving a very warm feeling over me. I missed being near him and it felt nice to cuddle into him.

We reached to top of the zoo and let Emily run ahead into the Polar Bear enclosure. Edward and I stood way in the back as Emily watched them folic under the water and play with their beach balls. Once we had enough, we steered her towards a cart where Edward got her a churro and he and I water. Emily took her churro and ran to the statues leaving us alone.

"I need to preface with an apology," He said, "I guess I am just so used to Kate's bullshit that I didn't notice how bad it had gotten. I haven't had to take another persons' feelings into consideration other than Emily's in a long time." His face held nothing but apology.

"I need to apologize too. I should have mentioned it, instead of letting it get to a point where I felt I had to yell about it." I said.

"She's still angry about the divorce. She and I had a really big fight when Emily was at my parent's house." He looked over to Emily. "Suffice it to say, there will be NO more interruptions unless there is an emergency situation. I have officially reined her in." He laughed, "She tried to put up a fight, though, claiming that there was no reason for just 'anyone' to meet Emily. Then she was super pissed when I told her how much you meant to me." He pulled me close to him. "Because you mean everything to me other than Emily, Bella." He tried to kiss me chastely as we were in public, but I added a little church tongue.

I pushed him away, "I am super nervous about today." I had to be honest with him.

"Why?"

"I am not a kid person, Edward and she is definitely not shy. How do I know I'm doing things right? I don't spend time with anyone under twenty five, remember?"

"You don't" He smiled, "You do what comes naturally. It's not like I'm going to leave the two of you alone to fend for yourselves or anything."

I let those words sink in. Truthfully being around Emily scared me to death, but I was willing to do this so I could be with Edward. "So, what time do we drop her off?"

"You want to come with me to her mom's house? " He looked at me in surprise.

"Don't you think she should meet me too? Let me show her that I am the bigger person, ok?" Emily came back over at that moment, ready to move on. She grabbed my hand and Edward's tugging us in the direction of the elephants.

**A/N: Love it, Hate it? Please review**

**Due to the Holiday on Monday, updates will post on Tuesday and Thursday of next week**


	30. Chapter 30

**A/N: Thanks to each and every one of you that review. If I didn't answer your questions, I apologize. FF is still being a little iffy. Thanks Linds, Erin and Cathie for your fantabulous PR and BETA skills.**

**Chapter title song is on my tumblr**

**Ch 29-Give Me One Reason**

Emily was asleep as soon as Edward put the car in drive. He looked at her in his rearview before reaching over to grab my hand.

"Are you sure about dropping her off with me? Kate can be rather…"He trailed off.

"Look, if you and I are in this for the long haul, I will have to meet her eventually. Why not now? This way she can see her actions didn't cause any issues between us." I sounded more confident than I felt. I didn't want to ever meet Kate, but I knew the situation was out of my hands. If I was going to be in a relationship with Edward and his daughter, than I was in one with Kate by proxy. We didn't have to best friends or anything, only civil to each other. I had meant what I said about being the adult. I only hoped I could back up my words.

"I know we still have a few more things to talk about, Bella. And we will after we drop Emily off. I thought we could go for Ice cream and finish our conversation." He pulled my hand up to his mouth and kissed my knuckles.

"I'd like that, Edward. We do have a few things to clear up." I stared out the window the rest of the ride trying to gather my courage. Pretty soon Edward pulled into a residential neighborhood that was closer to my house than his.

"Are you ready? We're here." He stopped the car in front of a small house with a gate in front of it, gave my hand a quick squeeze and got out to get Emily. As Emily stirred from her nap, I took one more deep breath and climbed out of the car. Edward carried Emily up to the door and I followed behind them. Just as he was about to ring the doorbell, the front door opened and a petite brown haired woman answered. She was shorter than I anticipated. She looked me up and down and focused on Edward with a blank look on her face.

"How long has she been asleep?" She asked and nodded towards Emily.

"Just from the zoo to here. " He started to shake Emily awake. "C'mon baby, we're at mama's house. You need to wake up." Emily stirred in his arms and glanced at her mom.

"Hi mama! I saw the tigers." She slipped out of Edwards's hands and to the ground. Then she turned to me and hugged my legs. "Thanks for going with us Bella." And she ran into her house. I was stunned by her actions.

"Hi, I'm Bella." I said to Kate and extended my hand to her to shake. She looked at it, looked at my face, and then shook my hand, albeit reluctantly.

"Kate." Was all she said. She thanked Edward for bringing Emily home, said she would see him in a few days and went back inside.

Edward put his arm around me as we walked back to his car.

"That went better than I thought." He laughed. "I thought she would be bitchy." An all out guffaw came out of his mouth that time, causing me to laugh too. He opened my door and helped me into the car.

"So, instead of ice cream, feel like a pint? There is a bar about two blocks away."

"That's fine with me," I said. We drove the two blocks in silence. Edward found a parking spot right in front of a very dirty looking bar, and we walked inside and sat at the bar. After he and I had each ordered a pint, he turned to me.

"Bella, I have to ask you something." He looked serious.

"Go ahead." His look was making me nervous.

"How did you feel about hanging out with Emily today?" He was studying my face as he asked. "Don't tell me what you think I want to hear, your honest opinion is the only thing I want on this." He leaned over and took my hand. I took a pretty big gulp of my beer.

"Well, I won't lie and say it felt natural or anything." I smiled, "but I thought it went really well. She seems to be smart and has a large vocabulary already. I was pretty impressed with how articulate she is. And I was surprised by her hug. "I said, "Hey can I ask you something?" He nodded.

"Why did she have a picture of us?"

"Oh," He looked a little sheepish, "When I gave her the Christmas gifts you got for her, I thought it only fair she have an inkling of who you are. She had already heard me talk to you on the phone and I had mentioned you on occasion. "

"It's ok; I was just taken by surprise." I took another drink of my beer.

"So down to the nitty gritty," He said." I realize that we just dealt with a pretty nasty situation involving Kate. I need to know that if she pulls anything in the future, that you call me on it and then we can work through it together. I am aware of it now, but I don't ever want you to feel as if I am not taking you into consideration."

"You really want me to bash your ex?" I smiled.

"Yes I do," He grinned." Now, where do we go from here, Bella? Now that you have met Emily, I would like you to start spending the night on a Friday here and there so she can get used to seeing you more often. You are a big part of my life and I want my two favorite girls to get to know each other."

How did I feel about that? Was I ready to basically be a part time mom? If things progressed with Edward the way they seemed to be, I would become a bigger part of Emily's life. I finished my beer and looked into Edwards eyes.

"I would love to spend more time around your child, Edward. You both will have to be patient with me, I am not used to spending time with anyone but adults. "

"Great!" He leaned over and kissed me. "So this Friday you are invited to Cullen Movie Night in the living room. Emily chooses a movie, we pull out the couch and we watch the movie. "

"I'm in! I may even have a movie or two that she doesn't"

"No porn, Bella! She's way too young," I smacked his shoulder, as he put money on the bar for our tab.

"Let me get you home." We walked back out to his car and he took me home. When we pulled up in front of my house, Edward left the car running.

"I'm not going to ask you to spend the night until Friday, and I won't pressure you about it either. But, can we talk during the week? I have really missed you and although I know we can't pick right up where we left off, I don't think it will take us too long to get back to that point."

"Thanks for not pressuring me on that. I do want us back where we were, though. In case you were wondering." He helped me out of the car, leaned me against it and kissed me good bye.

"I'll call you tomorrow." I was almost in my front door when he called out to me. "Hey Bella! I love you."

**A/N: Love it? Hate it? Please review**


	31. Chapter 31

**A/N: Thanks loyal readers! Welcome newbies as well! Linds,Erin and Cathie- you keep me rolling on**

**Chapter title song on my tumblr**

**Ch 30-I Don't Wanna Be**

Edward and I not rushing things lasted for about two minutes. By Wednesday he was at my house hanging out until he went home to sleep. It was his decision not to spend the night and I was glad he made it, especially as after our teenage hot and heavy make out session, I wanted him to stay.

On Thursday night, I baked some chocolate chip cookies to bring with me for Emily's movie night. As I was driving straight from work to Edwards, I decided to bake them while I packed my bag. I had to remember to pack something to sleep in as usually we would fall asleep naked after activities. I also thumbed through my DVD's to find my childhood favorites. I figured as long as Edward approved, I would add those to her selection for the night. I decided to call my mom for advice as I had never spent time with a child before. Her best advice to me was to be natural and not to bullshit, because kids could smell that a mile away. Wish I had known that as a child, but oh well.

Friday after work, I drove to Edwards feeling a little bit nervous. This would be real one on one time with his kid and I was wracking myself up over it. What if she didn't like me? It's easy to get along with someone when you're bonding over animals at the zoo. This was entirely different. I sat in front of Edwards's house in my car, seriously considering cancelling. I was really jittery all of a sudden and was working myself up to nausea. I was so lost in my thoughts, that I didn't notice Edward and Emily come out the car and jumped when he knocked on my window. My jump and scream caused Emily to laugh.

I got out of the car, and smacked Edward in the shoulder. "You scared the fu…fudge out of me" I stopped myself right before dropping an F-bomb in front of a five year old. I clearly couldn't be trusted. Edward laughed and reached into my passenger seat for my bag, grabbing the cookies I had on top. He handed them to Emily.

"Here baby girl, can you please carry these in to the kitchen and put them on the table for me?" He ruffled her hair and sent her back into the house. She giggled again and ran away from him, dodging behind me as if I was going to save her. I locked my car, grabbed Emily's hand and steered her towards the house. Edward watched us go, and then rushed to join us in the house.

Emily and I put the cookies down on the table, while Edward dropped my bag in his room.

"Emily, would you like to tell Bella the Movie Night Rules?" He prodded her.

She smiled up at me, "Rule one, only jammies are allowed on the couch bed. Rule two, no snoring!" She pinched Edward and ran into the living room and jumped on the couch. I laughed and handed Edward the three movies I had decided to bring over.

"I wasn't sure how you felt about these or even if she had them. These are some of my favorites and I thought I might offer them to view." I handed them over as Edward looked at me in surprise.

"That's very generous of you, baby." He kissed my temple. "What did you bring?" He looked at the covers and started to laugh, "Really Bella? The Dark Crystal, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and The Neverending Story? I know Emily has seen Willy Wonka, so let's ask her if she wants to watch either of the other ones. He grabbed my hand and pulled me into the living room where Emily was trying to turn the couch into a bed by herself. He yanked her up and over his shoulder upside down. "Listen here, monkey girl, you are too small to try and open this by yourself and you know it!" He smacked her on her butt. "Bella brought you two movies to add to your selections for the night. You go figure out what you want to watch, then go and change into pj's. "He put her back down and grabbed the cushions on the couch.

"Hey Bella, help her choose a movie, while I do this, then you have to get in your pj's too." He leaned into me right by my ear, "I am sad about you having to sleep in something tonight after missing your body the past few weeks." Kissed me on my temple and then smacked me on the ass.

I laughed and went to look for Emily. She was in the kitchen precariously perched on a chair while looking at the two movies I hadn't put back in my purse. She looked up at me, "Bella, which one would you rather watch?" She asked as she scrunched up her face in thought.

"Hmmmm…well Emily, I've seen both of them many times. Which one looks more interesting to you?" She glanced between the two covers, handed me The Dark Crystal, and giggled." This looks like the muppets, so we can watch this one." Then she tore down the hall to her room yelling at me to get changed over her shoulder. Her enthusiasm had me second guessing the whole cookie idea, as it seemed as if she had plenty of sugar in her system as it was.

I went back in to the living room to find Edward. "Hey is it alright if I use your bedroom to change?" I looked at my feet, not knowing why I felt shy. Edward came over to me and pulled my chin up.

"Hey, no eggshells. Be YOU, because I love you. Go and change, while I settle Em in with some cookies, ok." He kissed my nose. "Oh and Bella, thanks for catching your language earlier. I know it's an adjustment and I appreciate your effort." He pushed me towards the hall. I passed Emily on my way down to Edwards's room. She was in a tank top and pajama pants that had monkeys all over them.

I changed into some pajama pants and a tank top and headed back out to the living room. Emily was propped up on the left side of the couch bed up against a very pink Princess pillow, holding a care bear and munching on a cookie. "Daddy's changing, grab a cookie and lay here." She patted the space next to her. I decided to take her advice and grabbed a cookie for me and a couple more for Edward and Emily. I went to grab a beer, than thought I would wait for Edward. I wasn't sure how he felt about drinking in front of his child. I climbed into the middle of the bed and got comfy on the pillows that Edward provided.

"Daddy, can you please grab us blankets. What if we get cold?" Emily shouted to her dad. He came around the corner with three small blankets in his hands.

"Here," He handed them to me. "Do you want a beer, baby?" He asked as he walked into the kitchen.

"Yes please. I wasn't sure if it was ok." I could hear him laughing.

"There are very few things that won't be alright." He turned off the lights and put the movie on. Halfway through, Emily was asleep and snoring as she cuddled up against me. Edward noticed how she as laying over me and got up to adjust her, but I stopped him.

"Leave her unless you're going to take her into her room. She's not crowding me and she looks so comfortable." I stroked her hair, causing Edward to kiss my temple.

"Thanks for your patience tonight. I know this is very new to you, and you did great. "He leaned into me and kissed me on my chin. "I want to tell you how glad I am that you are here with us tonight." He leaned even closer and kissed me on my mouth. "It hasn't been the same without you." He kissed me one more time, pulled me closer and the three of us snuggled up for the night.

**A/N: Love It? Hate It? Please Review**


	32. Chapter 32

**A/N: Thanks to each of you that has taken the time to review and add this to your alerts. I do appreciate it. Thanks also to Linds, Cathie and Erin for the work before I post**

**Chapter Title song is on my Tumblr.**

**This story has about 5 chappies and an epi left**

**Ch 31 Supernova**

After the initial sleepover with Emily, Edward would bring us around each other more often. He was easing me in slowly which I appreciated. I spent the next Friday night with them, but left early on Saturday morning. As much as I loved hanging out with Edward, I didn't want to infringe on his time with Emily.

Edward and I eased back into our relationship at a slower rate than we began it. I was being cautious and he was allowing me to go at my own speed. This didn't hinder how much time we spent together, just how we spent the time. Other than spending the night when Emily was there, he and I hadn't shared a bed in any other way. I know this frustrated both of us, but for some reason, I HAD to do it this way.

After another few weeks, I decided it was time to welcome Edward back into my bed in an intimate way, but for some reason I was nervous about it. I wanted to make it really special without going overboard, so I called my main man Jacob, to get his advice.

"Hello?" He answered on the first ring.

"Hi J. It's me. How the hell are ya?"

"Bella my love. I am fantabulous as is my woman. What can I do for you today? Do I need to fly down there and kick Edward's ass? You wouldn't let me the last time." He chuckled.

"No, we're doing really well which is why I'm calling. I want to get your opinion on something."

"Sure thing Izzy. I would never steer you wrong."

"Well, J it's like this. We haven't done anything other than heavy make out sessions since we got back together six weeks ago." I heard Jake gasp so I continued on, "There isn't any reason why, except that I wasn't ready to get that intimate yet. But now I am, and I think I know how to go about it."

Jacob burst into laughter. "Let me get this straight. You 'think' you know how to have sex?" He laughed again. "You're making this harder, pun intended, than it needs to be, Iz."

"My plan is to make him that really nice dinner that we missed out on, wear lace and take him to bed. Do you think it will work?"

"He's a man, of course it'll work, B."

"I thought so. I'm not even sure why I doubt my skills. Thanks Jake. Hug your woman for me." I hung up the phone knowing exactly what I wanted to do.

I ran to the grocery store to stock up on my "seduce Edward' dinner fare, and called him to invite him over for dinner on Saturday night. I bowed out on the Cullen Movie Night, I wanted to get a full night's sleep and prime myself up for what I was about to do.

I spent Saturday morning cleaning my house and doing my laundry. This way I could concentrate on Edward for the next day and a half. I started the beef burgundy about two hours before he was set to arrive so I would have time to shower and get dressed before he was walking in my door. Once I had everything ready to put in the oven, I threw on my GET IT playlist and danced my way into the shower.

After a long shower that included extra hair conditioning and lady-scaping, I was clad in my bra and panties, thumbing through my closet. I decided on some jeans and my Wonder Woman T-shirt and no shoes. No need to dress up, as I didn't tell him anything about this night. Besides, the REAL surprise was the red lace I was currently sporting under the clothes.

Edward arrived just as I was putting the meat into the oven.

"Baby- where are you?" He yelled as he shut the door." Something smells good in here." He followed his nose into the kitchen and found me. He leaned in for a kiss, "Hi baby." He whispered. "Whatcha making?" He kissed me again.

"Oh, I um..." I was suddenly rethinking the whole idea.

Edward pulled my chin up, so I was looking into his eyes."What has you so nervous, baby?"

"I decided to make us that dinner I was supposed to make before everything turned to shit." I said shyly.

"Oh, baby." He gathered me in his arms and swung me around, kissing me profoundly. "That sounds like a great idea. What can I do to help?" I turned him towards the wine, and handed it to him as I grabbed glasses out of the cabinet.

"So, this is our do-over, Edward. This is my way of saying I am more than ready to make this relationship better than it was." I leaned up and kissed his chin.

Once we sat down to dinner, he and I were back to being our normal selves. I left him to clean up the kitchen, as he offered and decided to make myself dessert. Once I heard the dishwasher door closing, I knew it was time. I headed down the hallway leaving my shirt at one end and my pants midway, leaned up against my doorframe and waited.

I heard his intake of breath and watched him lean down to pick up my shirt. Once he realized what it was, he tossed it over his shoulder and sprinted down the little hallway, only to stop up short when he saw me. He looked me up and down, and licked his lips.

"Is this new?" He asked as he trailed the fingers on his left hand from my waist up my ribcage and stopped on my shoulder. He moved his hand behind me and unclasped my bra. As he removed it from me, his lips trailed from my neck down between my breasts and back over to my right nipple, taking it in his mouth and sucking. The intensity was amazing, especially as he and I had only been doing the over the clothes thing. He lifted his other hand to my left breast while continuing to suck on my right one. He lifted his head to look me in my eyes, "Does this mean what I think it means?" He asked as he moved his tongue to my left breast.

I nodded my head, too entranced to speak. I moved my hands to his waist and moved his shirt up and over his head. I wanted him naked. Once I tossed his shirt into my room, I went for the button on his jeans, but Edward stopped me long enough to pick me up and throw me on my bed. I laughed as I bounced into the middle, but stopped as soon as I saw the look of pure lust on Edwards face.

He stalked over to the bed, placed his hands on my hips and pulled my lace panties off in one fell swoop. He dropped them to the floor, leaned into me and gave me one long lick up my slit, which caused me to buck into him. It had been far too long without any gratification on either of our sides. He immediately put two fingers inside of me and continued to lick my clit; I knew it wouldn't take long to go over the edge at this rate.

"Shit baby…right there…" I was panting in time to his finger thrusts, and trying to remove his jeans at the same time. I finally hooked a toe into his belt loops and pushed them down his legs as far as I could, happily watching as his cock sprang free and smacked into my leg, uninhibited by boxers. "Fuck...I love when you're commando…" I squirmed under his attention getting closer to screaming out my orgasm and Edward picked up his pace.

"Come on baby, you need to come so I can get in you." He sped up the movement of his tongue on my clit and that was all I needed. I came hard, and pulled him up me. I was fumbling to get him inside of me while kissing him and he started laughing. "I got this, calm down…" He said as he pushed his way into me. We both moaned at the contact.

Edward started thrusting pretty hard and I met him each time. "God baby…I've missed this..." I moaned out.

"Me too, Bella" He said as he leaned over and kissed me. We became frantic as Edward moved closer to his orgasm. "I'm gonna come baby…hold on…." He said as he put all his effort into it finally releasing into me. He climbed off of me, and crashed onto the bed as I snuggled into him.

"We can't go that long without it again, Baby." He scolded as he leaned in and kissed me.

I pulled the blankets over us, curled into his side and promptly fell asleep.

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	33. Chapter 33

**A/N: Thanks to Linds,Erin and Cathie for their skills. Thank YOU readersz for your reviews!**

**Just to break form, this chapter is 100% REAL LIFE! Seriously…(As are the rest of them)Only the names have been changed to protect the innocent *Snicker***

**Chapter title song is on my Tumblr**

**Ch 32-Beautiful Day**

Once the 'No Sex' ban had been lifted, Edward and I were right back to where we had been before the Kate issue with one exception. I spent EVERY Friday night at his house now.

Emily and I had this great bonding thing going on. She drew a picture of the two of us together, naming me Bella Bell Bell on it. I had it hanging on my fridge so she could see it whenever she was at my house. It was amazing how fast she got into my heart and fit into my life. I was no longer nervous to be around her and Edward had even left us alone on occasion to run to the store.

In June, we celebrated Edward's birthday as well as his divorce. He and I also talked briefly about moving in together. I knew Jasper would be fine with it as he and Alice wanted to sell his house eventually anyway. Alice had dropped that bomb on me the past few weeks, but insisted she wasn't trying to hurry me along. I knew deep down that I wanted to be with Edward all the time, so I decided that once we hit the one year mark, I would move in.

We took Emily to Disney Land for her fifth birthday and my birthday in September. We rented a small suite at a local hotel so we could spend as much time as possible at the happiest place on earth. She had a great time laughing at me for NOT going on the Tea Cups as going in circles makes me want to puke. I got some great photos of her and Edward spinning around. She LOVED riding Peter Pan with me, though.

Edward and I had plans to hit Street Scene the following week. It is this HUGE outdoor concert where they block off part of downtown and set up a few stages for bands to come and play. The line- up this year included, REM, Dropkick Murphy's and the Sex Pistols to name a few. Edward and I couldn't wait, as neither of us had ever seen the Sex Pistols. Sid was still with them, so it would sound authentic to me. There were also Kiosks set up and a beer garden. Rose, Emmett, Jasper and Alice met us down there early in the day so we could wander through the street vendors before the shows we wanted to see came on.

Once we all met up at the Trolley Station, we walked the rest of the way to the beer garden. It was already open, so we each grabbed a beer, toasted each other and the day. Edward and I ventured out into the crowd after that to look at the wares being sold. There was a bunch of your typical Fair food offerings and a few booths showcasing local artists and their work.

The first stage we came across was setting up for Macy Gray so we decided to keep moving but come back to that stage later. We came across a small skateboard area that was set up with a few ramps. We watched that for awhile and Edward whispered in my ear about wishing he had brought his board with him.

"You skate?" I asked.

"You didn't know that?" He replied. "Have you EVER looked at all the pics on my fridge B?" He shook his head in pretend disgust so I lightly pinched him in the side.

"I've been skating and surfing since I was in elementary school. I have a few pictures on the fridge from when I did it in a semi professional mode. I'll make sure to point them out to you, since you miss the obvious things." He laughed and we moved on to another stage. This one was all reggae and the crowd in front of it was definitely into it. They had on the hats and the colors and the dreads to go along with the music. It was fun to see such an eclectic group of people.

We wandered back to the beer garden for a few more pints. Emmett and Jasper were still there but Rose and Alice had wandered off. We toasted to our health one more time and enjoyed people watching for a little bit. It was starting to get darker and the Dropkick Murphys were set to play on the same stage as the Sex Pistols. As this was who we really wanted to see, Edward and I decided to hit the restrooms and then head over to that stage. We wanted to be close.

Edward stopped en route at the Irish Store kiosk and started to look at the claddagh's.

"Are you looking to replace the one you wear now, baby?" I asked. His claddagh was super old and beat up looking. He loved it because the crown and heart on it were really big and you usually can't find them that size. I also knew he had been wearing it since he was in high school.

He looked at me shyly. "I was thinking about getting you one, baby" I took in a sharp breath. I knew how much his Irish heritage meant to him, half of his tattoos were Celtic.

"I would wear it with pride, baby." I leaned up and kissed his chin then looked down at the variations of the claddagh in front of me.

"Which one do you like?" He kissed the top of my head and put his arms around me pulling my back up against his front.

"I like the ones that are bigger like yours. They would match better." I leaned over and picked one up to see if it fit on my finger, but the sales rep came over first.

"Do you know your ring size?" She asked. I shook my head no, so she grabbed this chain with rings on them. "Which finger?" she asked, but Edward spoke up before I could say anything.

"This one." He said and held out the ring finger on my right hand. I looked at him quizzically."It's traditionally on the right hand in Europe." He explained.

I shrugged and held my right hand out to the sales rep. She slid a few over my knuckle until she found the right size. "Which ring?" I pointed to the one I liked the most. A plain silver claddagh, no stone just like Edwards.

The sales lady handed it to Edward and he slid it on my finger then kissed me. It was the best proposal ever and I couldn't stop the huge smile from spreading over my face.

Edward leaned in and kissed me even deeper, as the sales lady cleared her throat.

"Baby, did we just get engaged at a Sex Pistols concert?" I asked.

"Yep, we did." He laughed, grabbed my hand and we moved to the DropKick Murphy stage.

We made it to the pit and I took my phone out to text Alice to find out where they were. They were on the other side, so we joined them. Emmett had is hat on backwards and was in full stomp to the music mode. It was really nice to see him act like a child. Rose was just ignoring his antics and as she turned to greet us, she laser beamed to my ring, the nudged Alice. They both ran over to us, and started to hug me and Edward.

"Oh my gosh," Alice squealed. She looked at me, then at Edward. "OH MY GOODNESS!" she yelled. Her voice brought on the attention of the people nearby. Jasper came over to find out what she was freaking out about.

"What are you going on about, lady?" He asked. Alice pointed at my ring.

"They totally got engaged at the Sex Pistols! How Edward and Bella IS that?" After a few more good natured comments from Rose and Emmett, we turned to the stage.

The DropKick Murphys were really great live, the Sex Pistols not so much. What did I expect from a band that had been around over 30 years? However, the concert will live on in my memory as the night I got engaged.

**A/N: Love it? Hate it? Please review. Remember if you have questions, PM me and I will do my best to answer them**


	34. Chapter 34

**A/N: Thanks to Linds, Erin and Cathie. Thank you to each and every one of you that is taking the time to review. A few of you asked about the engagement: YES that is how I really got engaged, not I don't want/need or like diamonds and YES I wear my claddagh on my RIGHT hand in the European tradition (as does DH).**

**Also a correction: One eagle eyed reader noticed I wrote that Sid was still with the Pistols, as he OD'd in the early 80's/late 70's this would be impossible. I meant to write Johnny Rotten nee Lydon **

**Chapter title song is on my Tumblr**

**Ch 33-Ever Fallen In Love**

The next few weeks were filled with figuring out when to move me in, and where to put my stuff. Edward was adamant about NOT moving my living room furniture in as he was deeply in love with his black leather furniture. I wasn't going to argue about it since it was nicer stuff, so I put an ad in the paper to sell some of my stuff.

We also needed to reevaluate where all my books were going to go. Edward currently had shelves that had been built into the walls in his living room, but they are full of books, CD's and DVD's. He was going to have to move some of his stuff so I could put my books there too. We decided to let his daughter use my bed and dresser, and he and I would buy new stuff for his bedroom. He had already purchased a new bed once Kate had moved out, but we needed dressers for both of us.

After we celebrated our first year together, Edward and I started to move me in slowly so we wouldn't have to rearrange anything later on. Emily helped by telling us where to put her new things. As long as we were starting from scratch, he wanted to change her room around too. New curtains for her and she was all set.

Emily really liked having me around more. She and I got along really well and I was adjusting to being around a child as well as sharing a room with someone. As I was an only child, I wasn't used to it at all and Edward and I would have small fights over little things like toothpaste brands and where to store things.

Edward hated having the sliding glass door open on a nice day, but I liked letting the breeze in. He also hated when it got super hot out, but as I was part lizard, I would bask in the sun on the weekends. I didn't rinse my coffee cup out in the morning and that bothered him. We would usually laugh over the little things and then have make up sex. After a few small fights I got the distinct impression that Edward was creating them for the makeup sex.

The week before Thanksgiving, we were settled into our routine and decided to have a BBQ. We invited Alice, Jasper, Rose and Emmett over. It was our Bella Finally Moved In Party as per Edward. Alice and Rose arrived early to help me get the side dishes together. We had our music blaring through the surround sound and Edward was making fun of our playlists. He did like watching me dance around, though, so I guess it was a good trade off for him.

Once the boys arrived with the meat, the hounding about a wedding began.

"What are you thinking about for your wedding?" Rose asked. I looked at Edward and we both shrugged.

"I am not a fancy kind of girl, so something low key." I answered.

"That works for me, babe. I already had the horrible big wedding with Kate." Edward said.

"So what are the options?" Alice asked.

"We haven't really discussed it yet, Ali. WE JUST got engaged." I said.

"It's been weeks, B. I know you're low maintenance, so a justice of the peace?" Alice looked curious.

"Nah, "Edward said."We're going to get married by Elvis" He burst into laughter.

"I like that idea." I smiled. "Seriously, let's go to Vegas and get married by Elvis!" I was excited now. "NO white dress either." I was laughing with everyone now.

"Bella, are you really going to go to Vegas?" Emmett asked.

I looked at Edward and he just smiled. "I think so, Emmett. Edward and I need to talk it over first though." And with that comment, I switched the conversation towards Christmas presents.

Later on that night while Edward and I were in bed, I brought up the wedding topic again.

"You know that it doesn't matter to me when or how we do this whole marriage thing, right?" I asked as I leaned into Edwards's side.

"I know baby, but I don't want you to NOT have what you want just because I have already had a wedding." He kissed the top of my head.

"Like I would let that happen," I giggled and pinched his side.

"Then let's talk seriously about this. Did you want to go to Vegas and do it that way?" He leaned up against the pillows so he could see me better.

"Honestly, I like the idea of a completely no frills wedding. You, me, Vegas- it works for me."

"So when?"

"I think we should get married on Valentine's Day because we hate it so much. It would give us a reason to celebrate it."

"I LOVE that idea" Edward said. "Can we plan this in this short time frame?" Edward asked.

"I think we need to get on the internet and see if there is still time to book a wedding." I said.

With that, Edward lay back down, kissed me and pulled me closer. I fell asleep with visions of flying Elvis' in my head.

We spent Thanksgiving with my Aunt and Uncle. As Emily would be in Colorado with Kate's family for Christmas, Edward and I decided to spend Christmas Eve with his parents and Christmas morning alone.

By the time New Years Eve rolled around, Edward and I had our wedding booked as well as a suite at the Luxor hotel. We had invited Alice, Jasper, Rose and Emmett to tag along with us as well. Our intention was to share the suite, because when you're in Vegas, you are seldom in your room anyway. We also had our wedding attire planned out, but we would keep that a secret until the big day. Other than Alice, Jasper, Rose and Emmett, we didn't mention the wedding to anyone. We wanted it to be a surprise.

Early January, I made the decision to get another tattoo. I wanted one that symbolized Edward in some way, so I spent some time looking at Celtic designs. I finally settled on an intricate Celtic Love Knot and had it done in Black on my right shoulder. Edward loved it and Emily asked if we could all get matching tattoos when she was old enough to. We all agreed and Emily made us shake on it.

**A/N: Love It? Hate It? Please Review**


	35. Chapter 35

**A/N: Thanks to each and every one of you reviewing and reading my work. I appreciate it. Linds, Erin and Cathie- almost over ladies-**

**This Chapter is SO true to life, it's scary. Really- and I have the video to prove it**

**Chapter title song recommended by llippert100 via twitter- Thanks Lovely**

**Ch 34-Sin City**

Next thing you know, it was Friday February 13th and we were loading up Emmett's truck to haul the six of us to Vegas. We would only be gone until Sunday morning, so we didn't have that much stuff to cart around.

Five hours later, Edward and I headed to City Hall to get our marriage license as our ceremony was booked for ten the next morning. We left the other four at the hotel to check in and get situated. We promised to call them to meet up as soon as we had our license in hand.

The line was really long and since it was Vegas, you could drink while waiting in it. Edward and I only had one beer each as we didn't want to get drunk while waiting to enter a courthouse. There were a bunch of people already dressed for their weddings in line and in retrospect getting married on Friday the 13th would have made sense for us.

Two hours later, license in hand, we headed to Murphy's Irish Pub at New York New York to meet everyone else. The atmosphere was pretty laid back in here so we decided to order dinner and hang out for a little while before heading back to our hotel. We all wanted a good nights' sleep before the ceremony.

I smacked the alarm when it went off at eight the next morning. I jumped onto Edward happy that we were getting married. I could hear mumbling from out in the living room area, so I ran out there to find Rose and Alice already awake and showered.

"Get in the shower, B" Alice yelled and smacked me on the ass. I didn't protest too much as we had three boys that needed to get ready as well. I paid special attention to lady scaping while I was in there. I pushed Edward into the shower when I got out.

I made sure that no one else was in the room, shut the door and got into my special 'wedding' clothes. Edward and I had decided to dress alike with matching shirts and black bottoms. I Pulled on some white tights and threw on my long black skirt. I was zipping up my calf length black boots when Edward walked in.

"You look great, baby." He kissed the top of my head and handed me my shirt. We had decided to wear long sleeve black King Stahlman Bail Bond shirts. I knew Alice might say something about it, but as it was my wedding, I didn't care.

When Edward and I joined the others in the living room area, they were speechless. Alice looked us up and down then a smile came over her face. "This would only work for you two." She giggled.

Emmett linked his arm through mine, "Let's go Madam. Your chariot waits." We all laughed and headed to the parking garage. We found the Chapel easy enough and the six of us climbed out and headed to the registration desk.

Once Edward and I had checked in, we were led to a building outside the main one. The inside was done to look like a 1950's diner and it was awesome. The person that walked us out there went to the back of the diner to get Elvis as we looked around. When he came back out he had Elvis with him. Our Elvis was dressed in a red polyester jumpsuit with sequins around the lapels and it was cut almost to his belly button. The best part though, was that you could tell that Elvis shaves his chest as he had stubbles growing back in. It was the right amount of crazy for us.

Elvis instructed Edward to stand at the front and me to the back of the diner. I was met back there with a lady in a black robe, and she handed me a white rose. As we didn't even consider having flowers, this was a nice gesture.

One of Elvis' many songs came on and I was told to walk down the tile, yes tile not aisle as the floor was black and white tile. I met Edward up near the diner counter in front of Elvis. Alice and Rose stood on my side and Emmett and Jasper on Edward's side. As soon as Edward and I caught each other's eye, we almost busted out laughing.

Elvis began his ceremony utilizing as many Elvis song titles as he could into the ceremony. I kept backing away a little bit at a time as Elvis smelled as if he had been on a drinking binge until three minutes ago. I wrinkled my nose and caught Edward's eye again and he stifled a laugh.

Once Elvis pronounced us man and wife, "Viva Las Vegas" came on over the loudspeaker and we all twisted around and danced and sang. It was really fun and had only been a ten minute long ceremony. Edward and I walked back down the aisle together and were met with the lady in the black robe. She was a justice of the peace and actually wedded us legally. We signed the documents and went on out to the parking lot.

The professional photographer met us out there and had us set up in a few different poses as our names were flashed in lights on the sign: Congratulations Bella and Edward Cullen! It was pretty surreal. We headed back in to the diner and took a few pictures with Elvis and everyone else. My favorite picture of the day is Edward and me with our backs to Elvis as he is on his knees pointing to the back of our King Stahlman shirts. Elvis honoring the King was pretty cool.

Once it was all over, we headed back to the hotel so I could change out of my skirt. I was able to find an empty beer can laying around to put my wedding flower in. Edward kicked everyone else out for fifteen minutes so we could consummate the marriage. We met them at the hotel bar later on and we all decided to have a drink at every bar on the strip.

This took hours and we did eat eventually before making it back to our hotel room. We were all pretty buzzed by then and as we were leaving the next morning, we needed water, Advil and sleep. I fell asleep in my new husbands arms.

.Ever.

**A/N: Love It? Hate It? Please review!**

**Any questions? Ask away…. It was a white rose in a crushed Budweiser can in case you were wondering and I have a pic in my wedding album.**

**King Stahlman Bail Bonds is HUGE in San Diego**

**Also the chapel in Vegas was the Viva Las Vegas Wedding Chapel and we were married in the Doo Wop Diner- REALLY- check out their site: www(dot)vivalasvegasweddings(dot)com**


	36. Chapter 36

**A/N: Thanks to each of you that have added my little story to your alerts. Thanks Linds, Erin and Cathie for your help throughout this process.**

**Chapter title song is on my tumblr**

**Ch 35-Everywhere**

We got on the road early Sunday morning to try and beat some of the traffic. I was still tired so I dozed most of the ride home. This, of course, caused Edward to make fun of me.

"How did you drive all the way down here from Washington, if you can't stay awake for a four hour ride?"

"Shut it." I said as I pinched him." I was headed for a new beginning. The adrenaline kept me awake, as did my kick ass playlist." I said loudly so Emmett would hear me.

"Listen little B, there is nothing and I mean nothing wrong with my music." He shouted over the country pop that was pouring out of his speakers.

I stuck my tongue out at him and put my head back on Edward's shoulder. Next thing you know, he was shaking me awake because we were home.

"Come on, sleeping beauty, don't make me carry you." He nudged me and kissed me on the temple.

Everyone got out to adjust luggage and I gave hugs all around.

"Thanks all of you for coming with us. It just wouldn't have been the same."

"When are you calling your mom?"Alice asked.

"As soon as I get in the house."

"Will she be mad?" Rose asked.

"Not at all. They expect rash behavior from me." I smiled and Edward and I walked into the house. I dropped my suitcase on the bed and turned to look for Edward. "Hey baby- have you seen my phone?" I called out to him.

"No, did you check your purse?" His voice carried from the living room, so I headed in that direction. Edward was sprawled on the couch leaning his head against the back of it. I climbed into his lap.

"What are you going to say to Emily?" I asked.

"Since you moved in Emily has been asking me why we aren't married." He leaned in and nibbled on my bottom lip before kissing me.

"Really?" This was news to me. "How come she never asked me about it?" I felt a little put out, I thought Emily had really opened up to me.

"Because she was a confused with us living together versus us being married. Honestly, it isn't a big deal, baby. She comes to you for all kinds of things." He kissed me deeper.

"I should call my mom before we take this any further, Mr. Cullen." I tried to get off his lap, but his arms held me tighter to him.

"Do you REALLY want to get up right now?" He asked as he leaned in to kiss me again. The kiss deepened and before I knew it, I was topless on his lap.

"Damn you have skills, baby. I didn't even feel my bra unhook."

"It's a gift." He said, shrugged and leaned in to take my nipple in his mouth. His hand reached up to play with the breast he wasn't sucking on causing the best feeling in my stomach. I started to grind on his lap, feeling his cock harden beneath me.

"Mmmm….baby, I want to bend you over the couch." Edward lifted me up and removed my pants. I reached over to help him with his shirt, as he pulled his pants down.

Once we were naked, he moved me so I was kneeling on the couch but leaning over the arm of it. I felt him get on the couch behind me. He leaned in and I could feel his tongue over my clit causing me to jump. He pushed a finger into me as he licked up my spine until he got to my ear.

"Are you comfortable?" He asked as he nibbled on my earlobe. "I don't want your bits and pieces to stick to the leather."

"This will work, "I moaned as he pushed his cock into me. I arched my back to take him deeper. He reached around to play with my left breast, keeping his right arm wrapped around my waist. The friction was intense and I slammed my hips back to meet him on every thrust. I put my right hand on my clit to help push me over the edge. It didn't take long for us to orgasm together, him pulling me onto his lap as we recovered.

"Do you want something to drink?" He asked as he slid me to the side so he could get up.

"No thanks baby. I DO need to put my clothes back on and call my mom, though." I headed to the dining room table to get my cell out of my purse.

I called my parent's house only to be met with their answering machine, so I left them a message."Hi, it's me. Umm..Edward and I got married in Vegas this weekend. You probably want to call me back. Love you." I heard Edward choking on his water as I hung up.

"That was a nice message, baby. Maybe that's how I'll tell my parents too." He laughed and grabbed his phone. Unlucky for him, his dad answered, so he headed to the backyard to fill them in on what we did.

He was back inside pretty quickly. "My parents said welcome to the family and they want to take us out to eat this weekend." He said as he kissed my temple. "Let me call Emily."

I heard him talking to Emily as he wandered back outside. He was back inside in a minute, handing the phone to me, "Here she wants to say hello." I grabbed the phone from him.

"Hello?"

"Hi Bella! Now I can call you the 'evil stepmom'" Emily giggled. "Daddy said we are going to dinner with Grammy and Grandpa on Friday night. YEAH!" I was laughing with her.

"Yes, I am officially a horrible stepmom and I intend to lock you in a tower somewhere." She giggled even harder.

"NO tower, Bella. Let me talk to daddy, please?" I handed the phone back to Edward who was laughing over our exchange. He talked to her for a few more minutes before hanging up.

"So that's it, baby. Now it's official as I told everyone that matters."

"I just need to call Jake." I dialed his number and walked into the bedroom to unpack my bag. After I calmed him down and explained WHY he didn't get invited to my elopement, he was fine with it and offered his best wishes. I had a feeling he and Leah weren't that far behind.

Edward came in to unpack his stuff and I took the hamper out to the garage to start laundry. I found Edward sitting on the back patio, beer in hand looking at the mountains in the distance. I grabbed my own beer and joined him. He looked over at me, smirked and raised his beer bottle.

"Cheers, Mrs. Cullen"

"To a new beginning, Mr. Cullen" Edward and I clanked our bottles together.

The End

**A/N: Love it? Hate it? Please review**


	37. Chapter 37

**A/N: Cue The Doors…This is the end…beautiful friend…the end…**

**A LARGE Thank You to my slappers- you have been there since step one and I couldn't have done it without ALL of your support. **

**Thanks to KareBear and Grace who started the journey with me and to Cathie,Erin and Linds who finished it.**

**If I didn't answer your questions, PM me and I will do my best.**

**The BIGGEST thanks goes to each and every one of you that has read this.**

**I have decided to leave the Epi without a Song Title- I couldn't agree on one **

**Epilogue-7 Years later**

I glanced at my watch and sighed, took another sip of coffee and put the paper down. I glanced to my left to see Sampson, my dog looking at me expectantly. He is a six year old pit-bull mix that was a Christmas gift from Emily at our first family Christmas. He is very in tune with the time frames in our house.

"Sampson, do you want to get the girl?" I asked. He jumped off the chair, shook off and traipsed down the hall. I followed him passing the pictures of Edward, Emily and I from the last seven years. He was patiently waiting in front of Emily's door. I barely had a chance to turn the handle before he was pouncing onto her bed to attack her face with kisses. I laughed even though this is the same way I got her up for school every Friday for years.

"Come on, Em get on up." I said as I went down the hall to our room to get ready for work. Typical Friday morning in the Cullen house started with me reading the paper and drinking coffee, then to Sampson and me waking Emily up for school. Once Emily and I were ready to leave the house, I would drop her off at her mom's and then continue on to work. Edward would pick her up from school and bring her home with him.

"Bella?" I heard Emily sing song to me.

"Emily, is there some kind of favor you need?" I could hear her laughing from her bathroom.

"Can you puhleeeeze help me with my hair today? I want to straighten it and I can't get the back right." She's practically begging by the end of the sentence.

"Plug in the straightener and keep getting ready. IF we have enough time, I will run it over your hair."

"Thanks B!" She shouted.

After shoveling some cereal down her throat, I did a quickie job on her hair and tried to steer her out the door. Unfortunately, there is never a smooth exit on a Friday morning. For an almost thirteen year old, Emily has the memory of a toddler. She had to go back to her room two times for her jacket and her messenger bag.

Once we were situated in the car, the Clash's "White Riot" blared out from Emily's bag causing me to giggle. That was her ringtone for Edward. I was able to get on the highway headed to her mom house as she talked with her dad about movie night selections.

We got to her moms with five minutes to spare before they would have to leave for school. Kate and I exchanged small talk and 'Happy Friday' salutations as Emily went from got one car to the other. I waved and took off, headed to work.

Halfway through my day, I heard my text prompt, but I was too busy to pick it up. I had another two days to get the travel claims done for the team to go to Miami. Emmett wasn't going on this trip as Rose's due date was two days ago. That's right, they decided to reproduce.

I sighed and thought about Alice and Jasper for a minute. They were still very happily not married but no longer working together, as Alice was promoted to head of a different department. I hadn't seen them in awhile but we were having a family BBQ on Saturday night.

While answering an email, I checked my text messages to see my standard text from Edward.

_Hi Baby. I Love You_

Every day he sent that to me, and every day it made me smile.

I packed up my office for the weekend and headed home, only to find a very energetic dog and teenager. I convinced Emily to run around out back with Sampson, kicking his ball for him, and searched for my husband.

"Edward! Where are you?" I headed to our room and found him sitting on the bed with his head in his hands. "Baby, what's the matter?" I kissed his head.

"A BOY walked Emily over to the motorcycle after school today. Last week she had on mascara when I picked her up. I'm not ready for any of this Bella." I tried not to laugh at him as I cuddled his head to my stomach.

"Baby, you know it will happen one day, right? Have you and Kate talked about rules and regulations so you can be on the same page?" I could feel him shake his head no against me. "Then, let it happen naturally. Keep in mind, you're the motorcycle riding, guitar playing 'cool' dad. Now let's eat and watch a movie." I pulled him off the bed and out of the room.

After we had digested our pizza, we were in our comfy clothes and ready to watch one of the Shrek movies. Emily, Edward and the dog shared the bed and I was curled up in the recliner.

"Hey Bella, can you please tell daddy to let me sleep out here? I'm too big for him to carry me down the hall if I fall asleep."

Edward leaned over and kissed the top of her head. "You will NEVER be too big for me to carry. " He got up and retrieved each of us a beer. As he handed me mine, he gave me the look. It was the one I could always read. The one that says, I wish we didn't have Em tonight because I want to be alone with you. I sighed, shrugged my shoulders and took a sip of beer. Emily's set in stone schedule had her at our house Thursday and Friday nights. Kate picked her up by noon on Saturday mornings.

I grabbed a throw blanket and snuggled down to watch Shrek. About forty-five minutes in, I could hear subtle snoring from the couch. I glanced over and all three of them were asleep.

I took a look at my platinum wedding band on my left hand and the claddagh on my right and laughed to myself. Hey, this is my life and I wouldn't change it for anything!

**The End, Really..although as this is RL, it continues on**

**A/N: Love It? Hate It? Please review…**

**the epi is a VERY true to life version of EVERY Friday during the school year.**

**Thanks to JRC and ARC without whom there would be no story to tell..ILYBOTH**


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